This week, many students are digging into College Hill’s newest dining option, Miss Jackson’s Kitchen. The restaurant, which replaced the short-lived Trolley Stop, offers breakfast and lunch items with a Southern flair.
Isabel Reyes ‘24, a former employee of the Trolley Stop, has mixed opinions about the switchover.
“When I found out Trolley was closing down, as a person who was working there, I did get a little upset because I wouldn’t have a job anymore. I was a little salty,” Reyes said. “I did go to Miss Jackson’s. It’s not bad, it’s actually pretty good.”
Reyes, unlike some Trolley Stop employees, was not offered a job with the college’s dining services.
Joshua Chait ‘25 went into the new restaurant with an open mind.
“I was more than happy to give [Miss Jackson’s Kitchen] a try once it opened,” Chait said. “I had an overall positive experience. Ordering was very easy and simple, and the food came out pretty timely. It was pretty good. I would definitely go back there again.”
However, not all students welcomed the new restaurant with open arms. For Courtney McCants ‘24, the Trolley Stop had become a regular part of her routine.
“I went to Trolley almost every night last semester and I thought that the food was not good – it was never good – but I enjoyed the environment and I enjoyed the space and being able to sit with my friends,” McCants said. “It was bearable. It was more for the vibes and the friends I was with than the actual food itself.”
When she visited Miss Jackson’s Kitchen, she was pleasantly surprised by her meal.
“I got the eggs Benedict and I would rate it, like, an 8.5 out of ten. It wasn’t regular but it was still delicious, and it really made me mad that it was so good … I wanted to not like it because of the fact that they weren’t accepting meal swipes,” McCants said.
While Trolley Stop was owned and operated by the school and therefore accepted meal swipes as part of the school’s dining plan, Miss Jackson’s is privately owned and does not. The college is marketing Miss Jackson’s as a new dining option, leading to confusion among students.
“The fact that [the college] took away a dining option that accepted meal swipes that I could go to every day and replaced it with another restaurant makes it seem like Lafayette College, in general, is just focused on getting more money,” McCants said.
Juan Martinez, the owner of Miss Jackson’s and Don Juan’s, rents the restaurant space from the college. Profits from the restaurant do not go to the college, but it is unclear whether Lafayette is making more or less money with Miss Jackson’s instead of Trolley Stop.
Christian Mota ‘23 was skeptical of the new restaurant.
“[The Trolley Stop] was a good break from other food on campus and I guess I was just kind of disappointed that we lost space and environment and a food option,” he said. “I was kind of unsure about the new place. I didn’t know what they were trying to bring on campus or what they were trying to offer.”
Mota holds similar views to McCants on the loss of a meal swipe option.
“Especially for kids at this school who are struggling to pay tuition, we don’t have a lot of money,” he said. “A meal swipe would go a really long way in getting people to even just go to Miss Jackson’s and try it out.”
Unfortunately, due to Miss Jackson’s being privately owned, meal swipes can not be accepted, and despite the posted hours on the door, Miss Jackson’s Kitchen is currently only open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pard Dollars will be accepted in the future.
