After the Blue & Gold Club closed its doors on July 1, ideas began to circulate around campus about the future of the facility located at 44 Kent Way.
The closing of the Blue & Gold Club, a members-only dining club serving the university community, was part of an ongoing effort to reduce university costs. Its demise was approved by the board of directors after years of decreasing membership and operating deficits, Associate Vice President of Auxiliary Services Margot Carroll said last spring.
Currently the club is closed and inactive, with neither food services nor scheduled events taking place. Plans for the future of the club are in the preliminary stages and no decisions have been made at this time, Executive Vice President Scott Douglass stated in an e-mail message.
“The primary issue with the facility is that it needs substantial structural and systems renovations and upgrades, beyond kitchen renovations,” Douglass said.
University officials have discussed different options for the facility, including the possibility of moving Vita Nova, the student-run restaurant located in the Trabant University Center, to the old Blue & Gold club location, he said.
However, the move has caused some dilemmas.
“Cursory examination of such a move suggested the demands on the building and impacts on the HRIM program were not positive,” Douglass said.
Julie Fagan, director of restaurant operations at Vita Nova, said she has not heard about the possible moving of the Vita Nova location and has not considered that option. If the move were to be approved, it would not be easy, she said.
“I would have to think about it, the space and the size, and obviously there would be a lot of ground work that would need to be done to consider the move,” Fagan said.
Although the university has not made any decisions about the future of the building, at this time officals do not plan on reopening the Blue & Gold Club in the same building or any other location.
“The Blue & Gold Club generated a substantial deficit and, despite repeated attempts over the past 10 years, membership and pricing strategies failed to slow the growth of the deficit,” Douglas said.
The closing of the club led to the layoff of all of the club staff, which included managers, chefs, and servers, many of whom were students. In the spring, management stated they would help Blue & Gold Club workers find other positions on or off campus.
“All full time staff were offered the opportunity to accept comparable positions at other dining facilities on campus or at another Aramark location,” Douglas said. “All but one individual took advantage of this opportunity.”
Although plans for the building are still under consideration, in the past the building has been home to administrative offices, a women’s residence hall and a student infirmary, according to the club Web site.
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