The Blue Devil Deli was relocated from the Quad Tent to the Student Center this school year because the certification of occupancy, which is the permit from the city of New York necessary for the tent to be used, had recently expired.
Sarah Bates, the head of the upper school, explained, “In 2021, we extended the certification of occupancy from the city of New York for another year or two. Unfortunately, in anticipation of this school year, our operations team got notification from the city that we no longer had the permit for the Quad Tent, or what had become the Blue Devil Deli.”
“The Deli was a great meeting space and we had good options for students, faculty, and staff. It was eventually determined that we were going to move the food services into the Student Center,” continued Bates.
According to Chef Louis Rossini, “My main goal was to find a location that was easily accessible to students, without taking up too much of a footprint. Even though the couches disappeared, [I] figured that it would be better for the students to have Deli access.”
The transition to the Student Center has demonstrated several improvements, including increased convenience for students. Rossini also noted that the move hasn’t deterred the Deli’s popularity. “Based on the consumption on a daily basis, the sales seem to be steady in the way it was last year,” said Rossini.
Reactions from both students and faculty have been mixed. According to an Instagram poll conducted by Poly’s student government account in October 2023, 48 percent of students voted to bring back the old Student Center and remove the Deli completely, while 52 percent of students voted to keep the Deli as is.
Junior Gianna Denis shared “I don’t love the new location of the Deli because it feels unclean to be doing homework while there is food being served.” Dennis also expressed her disappointment over the absence of the couches.
Gemma Pauls, a senior, explained her appreciation for the change. “I love the Quad being open because I really love sitting outside at the picnic tables with friends when it’s warm and the sun is out. It’s also nice having easy access to the Deli while doing work in the Student Center. ”
In previous years, the Quad Tent has also served as a crucial space for Pack-Out days, where students actively participated in collecting donations and repackaging them to be donated at “friendly fridges” across the city. Elijah Sivin, the director of service learning, expressed his dismay over the relocation, noting that “in addition to being a good working space, the Quad Deli space turned out to be a perfect space for pack-out day, because it was cool, indoors, and contained, so you could keep pests out. I am not exactly sure where that leaves us for this year without use of the Deli.”
As the new school year begins, the Poly community continues to adjust to an altered Student Center.