By Вen Li
Max Cafe and Bar closed with less than a bang but more than a whimper.
The lone undergraduate watering hole on the University of Calgary campus closed on Fri., June 15 while the space that will eventually house the new Den is prepared.
"The Den will re-open in the beginning of August," said Students’ Union Vice-President Operations and Finance Natasha Dhillon. "It won’t be the same [as the old Den] but it will be a great place for students to go nonetheless."
Dhillon was optimistic that the new Den will accomodate student’s alcohol needs.
The Grad Lounge in MacEwan Hall is now the only source of alcohol on campus, but so far students seem unperturbed.
"As of right now, it hasn’t done a darned thing," said Grad Lounge manager Jacquie Dixon. "We looked at lunch [on Monday] and we had our usual clientele."
Dixon was surprised but not displeased that undergraduates did not flood the lounge seeking food and drink.
"We try to maintain membership rules. It’s the grad students who pay for the lounge," said Dixon. "There are 20,000 undergrads and 3,000 graduates at the U of C and we can only seat 150."
Undergrads signed in as guests to the Grad Lounge can continue to enjoy food and alcohol, but most will have to endure the latest expansion inconvenience.
"Obviously, there isn’t a place for students to have a sit-down meal right now except for the Oak Room," said Dhillon. "I expect some students will go off-campus for their meals."
Dhillon also explained that most of the staff are taking paid holidays or are temporarily reassigned. Once the new Den is open, students will notice a change in the cost of their meals due to fluctuations in food prices.
"Food costs have increased to the point where we’re often losing money," said Dhillon, who added that the SU will lose revenue for the six weeks the bar is closed. "Because of that, meal prices will increase from 25 cents to a dollar."