If you’ve ever crossed the bridge between Commons and main campus around 9 a.m., you have surely seen the long line of sleep-deprived students spilling out of Suzie’s Cafe in Central Library. In search of an iced oat milk latte and a breakfast sandwich, these students make a pit stop at Suzie’s for a much-needed caffeine boost before their early classes.
Suzie’s Cafe is not just a convenient spot to use your meal swipes—it is a way of life. I recently had the opportunity to speak with someone that is potentially Suzie’s number one fan, sophomore Sky Hooley. Her Instagram account, dedicated to her love for the campus cafe, @suziesandgrinsenthusaiast, has grown a following of 244 loyal Suzers (or followers) in the month since its creation.
“I started an Instagram account dedicated to Suzie’s because I literally come every day,” Hooley said. “I talk about it all the time and I posted my meals and drinks on my private story, so I finally dedicated an account to my love of Suzie’s.”
As for specific reasons for the light-hearted Instagram account, Hooley explained that when she was on campus last year, she was unsatisfied with other dining halls and campus dining altogether. When she was not willing to wait in the infamous Randwich line, the light at the end of the dining tunnel was Suzie’s Café.
“All of the food was prepackaged in the dining hall, and I refused to wait in line for it,” Hooley said. “I was turned on to Suzie’s Cafe, which had shorter lines and good food. Also, it is one of the only places on campus where you can get an oat milk latte with a meal swipe.”
Hooley’s Instagram account posts fun photos of fellow Suzie’s fans, lovingly known as “Suzers,” with their grab-and-go meals and drinks and meal recommendations, and even features posts about Grins Vegetarian Cafe, located in the Schulman Center for Jewish Life.
“Anyone can be the Suzer of the day, they just have to DM me their Suzie’s meal prep to be nominated,” Hooley said. “I have a highlight reel on my page of all the past Suzers featuring their custom Suzie’s meal prep.”
According to Hooley, meal prepping at Suzie’s consists of building your meal with any three items of your choosing, then snapping a picture to commemorate the occasion.
“‘Meal prep the Suzie’s way’ is the series I do when I post my typical meal at Suzie’s,” Hooley said. “I want to emphasize how everyone has a different favorite meal from Suzie’s, but they are all delicious in their own way.”
Hooley’s favorite Suzie’s meal is a turkey sandwich, a slice of banana bread and an iced coffee with oat milk. As for myself, I meal prep with the hummus platter, yogurt and German chocolate coffee.
Hooley has even coined a verb for her love of Suzie’s: “suzing.”
“‘Suzing’ is a word that I started using whenever I went to Suzie’s,” Hooley said. “It has a couple different variations, but all together it just kind of represents the love I have for the place. It is such a versatile term, too. It can take so many different forms.”
As an economics and business student, Hooley has ruminated on the cafe’s business potential. There are four locations on campus, but she has thought about the potential of expansion in the future.
“I know a couple people that work at Suzie’s, so getting a job there is definitely the next move,” Hooley said. “My five-year plan is to graduate, buy a Suzie’s location and really make it into a big franchise.”
Who wouldn’t want to girlboss their way up the Suzie’s empire?
The next time you find yourself on main campus, head on over to your favorite Suzie’s location—in Central Library, Featheringill Hall, the Blair School of Music or Medical Research Building III—to grab a turkey sandwich and enjoy life the Suzie’s way. If you’d like to be the next Suzer of the day, DM your meal prep to @suziesandgrinsenthusiast on Instagram.
