If I May: Schwemm's Sadness

This past Friday night, as my latest attempt to “go out” at Amherst wound down, I found myself in a familiar position: hungry, specifically for mozzarella sticks. I remembered that our beloved Schwemm’s had been renovated, and I was eager to check it out (and also to get mozz sticks). Upon arrival, I was pleased to see the changes to the furniture. Assuming some more tables will arrive for the inner room, the new aesthetic of the place is far improved from its previous form. I looked at the updated menu, and there were several exciting new options: veggie and chicken dumplings, nachos, flatbreads and more. However, amidst this excitement over the new options, I also noticed some glaring omissions from the menu: mozzarella sticks, the West Coast turkey sandwich and egg and cheese bagel-wiches.

I have to say, these three items were perhaps my most frequent orders at Schwemm’s, and from discussions with some of my classmates, I have gathered that this is true of others as well. The mozzarella sticks were perhaps the quintessential late-night snack and were certainly incredibly popular at Schwemm’s. Julia Pike ’19, a close friend of mine, had this to say about the lack of fried cheese: “I spent my whole summer thinking about how when I got back to Amherst, I could have pesto and mozzarella sticks. I get back, the pesto’s here. But the mozzarella sticks? Gone! A travesty.”

The West Coast was the marquee item on the old Schwemm’s menu. Slathered in guacamole, this sandwich seemed to satiate many students’ desire for avocado. Recent alum Justin Henriksen ’18 was speechless when I informed him that the West Coast was no longer on the menu. I had witnessed him order enough West Coasts during his time at Amherst that I believe his intake alone would personally make it worth it to still have on the menu.

Finally, we arrive at the egg and cheese bagel-wich. This is — or, rather, was — my personal favorite item on the Schwemm’s menu. The eggs were fried fresh. The bacon was crispy and crumbly (how I like it), and the sausage was not bad at all. I am very sad to see it go.

To be clear, I do not mean this article as an indictment of Schwemm’s and certainly not of anyone who works there. As I mentioned above, I am very pleased with the renovations and menu additions. However, it seems that the kitchen equipment has not changed; the same fryer is there, the same griddle, and the same sandwich station. It would seem that it is entirely possible for Schwemm’s to continue to have these old items on the menu, in addition to the new ones.

If other students share this opinion, I would encourage those to write a comment card, as I plan to. The dining staff here at Amherst really cares about students’ opinions, as we have seen with the improvements in Val. I would not be surprised if they would take our voices into account regarding this as well.