Students have a lot to look forward to with the completion of the McCartney Street dorm building this fall. Perhaps one of the most anticipated features of the building is the diner, The Trolley Stop, located in the ground floor of the building.

Christopher Brown, general manager of Bon Appetit, explained that the diner will have a diverse menu. Breakfast foods, of course, will be served all day. The diner will also provide “blue plate speciality dishes” served on the same day each week as well as daily specials and plenty of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options.

“They’ve done a nice job at creating a very appealing menu,” President Alison Byerly added.

While the menu has not been finalized, it will include the “Phat Roger”, inspired by Vice President of Finance Roger Demareski’s burger creation at a staff barbecue last summer.

Unlike the dining halls, The Trolley Stop will function independently from the college. While the hours have not yet been set, the diner will stay open over breaks. The diner’s differentiated schedule, Byerly added, is partially a response to the needs of students, especially those on campus over break.

To further accommodate the needs of students, The Trolley Stop will provide students with jobs and allow them to use their meal swipes and Pard Dollars when paying. 

 The Trolley Stop has much to offer the city of Easton as well, as residents of the community are encouraged to eat there. Brown explained that Bon Appetit plans to partner with local businesses to provide the diner with its ingredients and hire workers from the city of Easton. Members of the College Hill and Easton communities are invited to eat at and enjoy the diner’s food as well.

Preserving the history of the community is another aspect of the new diner. The name itself is meant to commemorate the trolley the used to run up College Hill.

In 1888, according to The Morning Call, Lafayette graduate David W. Newsin installed the electric trolley to transport people up an down the hill and throughout the city of Easton. Easton was only the third city in the country to implement this system which existed until its services ended in 1939.

Additionally, some of the brick incorporated into the diner was salvaged from the houses that were there before the McCartney dorm project.

Initial discussions about the diner began back in 2016. Demareski said that Paul McLoughlin, then the assistant vice president for campus life, suggested installing a diner to provide a non-alcoholic social space for students.

Brown said that it wasn’t until a recent “impromptu conversation with [Byerly]” that the official idea for The Trolley Stop was put into motion. Since then, Brown and his team have been working on fully developing the idea and making it a reality with the support of the college.