Brown University Dining Services will continue service at the Sharpe Refectory for students on meal plan through the Thanksgiving holiday for the first time this year, offering a Thanksgiving supper that will replace the meal traditionally hosted at the Third World Center.
Other dining halls and eateries will close the afternoon of Nov. 27, but the Ratty will continue to operate with normal hours on Wednesday and a modified holiday schedule through Sunday.
The TWC has traditionally hosted a Thanksgiving Day meal for students who stay on campus during the break, wrote TWC Director and Assistant Dean of the College Mary Grace Almandrez in an email to The Herald.
In recent years, the TWC has been unable to accommodate all those interested in attending the dinner, a factor that contributed to the decision to keep the Ratty open, she wrote. The center will not host a separate dinner this year.
The TWC “is very homey, there are a lot of couches, and there was a lot of food, but it was very crowded,” said Karla Tytus ’15, who attended the center’s dinner last year. “They ran out of dessert a couple of times.”
Members of the Brown community not on meal plan will be able to pay to join the meal, Almandrez said.
“I like the idea of being able to use meal credits, but I’m not completely sure I like that idea that it won’t be open for free for people who are off meal plan,” said Elaine Hsiang ’15, who attended the TWC’s Thanksgiving meal her first and second year at Brown. “It’s a trade-off.”
Tytus said she will not attend the Ratty dinner this year because she does not have a meal plan.
“It’s nice that the Ratty is staying open — I would have really appreciated that over past Thanksgiving breaks,” Tytus said. “But the meals there are expensive when you’re not on meal plan.”
The meal at the Ratty will be “a traditional New England Thanksgiving dinner,” wrote Director of Administration for Brown Dining Services Ann Hoffman in an email to The Herald. “We will open for brunch at 11:30 (a.m.) serving omelets and bagels until 2 (p.m.), and an extensive array of traditional Thanksgiving offerings — including roast turkey, baked ham, bread stuffing, mashed potatoes, roasted root vegetables and a variety of desserts — will be available all day long.”
Though some options, such as the deli and grill stations, will not be available, vegan and vegetarian options will be served as usual.
Some students said they are excited about the special meal and are pleased that this change allows them to continue eating on campus instead of having to venture elsewhere.
“As I was disappointed I wasn’t going to be spending Thanksgiving at home, I was happy when I heard that Brown will be hosting an on-campus meal so that I can celebrate with my friends,” said Pia Ceres ’17.
“It used to be inconvenient because you had to pay for all of your meals and even some of the restaurants on Thayer (Street) would close,” said Vanessa Welten ’14.
The Ratty will be staffed by regular Dining Services employees throughout the break, with those who work on Thursday and Friday compensated at a bonus holiday rate, Hoffman wrote.
The exact hours of operation and complete menus for the break can be found on the Dining Services website.
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