With the start of the 2024-25 school year, Campus Dining introduced several changes — some welcomed, others not so much. One of the most anticipated additions this year was Carmichael Café, which blends elements of traditional dining halls, like its neighbor at Rothschild College, with the feel of a classic campus café. Serving options include frittatas for breakfast, club-style sandwiches for lunch and focaccia pizzas for dinner. It provides a quick order-and-wait system where you receive your food once your ticket’s number is called. Here are two reviews on the new dining option.
George Albu, Staff Writer and Photographer
Initially, I saw the new Carmichael Café as a waste of what could have been a “real” dining hall.
However, it’s now likely to become my go-to spot for breakfast this year. Carmichael Café’s breakfast menu options are typically the same: two or three sandwiches, two types of cheese danishes, an egg tart and fruit. Will it get repetitive after a while? Probably. However, the point of Carmichael Café is to be the perfect spot to get a quick, quality meal. My go-to order is a ham and cheese frittata with overnight oats on the side, complete with either a cup of steaming drip coffee or water.
This leads to my biggest gripe about Carmichael Café: for a café, the coffee should be better. I think the Frothy Monkey beans are too dark for my liking, making the espressos taste more like ash than gourmet European coffee. Is this the end of the world? No. But I suggest opting for an Americano or even the drip coffee instead of ordering an espresso from behind the counter.
The value per swipe at Carmichael is admittedly less than other dining halls on campus, which allow you to get two or three sides for your meal swipe compared to Carmichael’s one. Portion sizes per swipe can also be small compared to the on-campus competition — the danishes are less filling than the frittatas. However, since many students end up with extra at the end of the year, you might as well use two swipes if you want a more substantial meal.
Overall, the wait times are low, and seating is plentiful every morning. This allows you to get quality food to fill you up until lunch, even when you’re short on time. Carmichael’s charm and intended role make it a café I’ll definitely consider visiting more this semester.
Robert Tang, Staffer-in-Training
Carmichael Café is the Vanderbilt attempt to bring European café dining to Campus. Though it comes with a new dining hall, this attempt also brings the European standard of serving smaller meals.
The dinner portion sizes and variety do not represent the wide diversity of students’ dietary needs on campus. Instead of only offering what Campus Dining considers to be “pizza,” it would be more beneficial if Carmichael Café included other European dishes that aren’t as commonly known — especially since the revived Commodore Pizza Kitchen already has this item as their specialty. This could broaden students’ palate and also cultural understanding. The breakfast at Carmichael, though visually appealing, lacks in quantity and does not provide a diverse enough menu to sustain the many desires of students. Whether it’s Khachapuri from Georgia, Parisian-style crepes for breakfast or Greek Moussaka, the café should aim to be a star piece on campus with its added variety.
Moreover, there have been notable concerns about the system for distributing coffee to students, as it involves a separate process for obtaining cups and other items. This creates a system that is illogical and overcomplicated. For example, if a student were to get a pastry, a fruit cup and a coffee cup, they would have to wait four times — once for each item.
Socially, Carmichael has done well as a new area for students to chat, study and do homework. However, it could improve upon its inclusion of more charging ports, which can help students recognize that it truly is a café-like experience where they can recharge and work.
Overall, Carmichael Café is a reflection of Vanderbilt’s evolving campus culture, blending European influences with a modern, student-focused environment. While it brings some visual and social benefits to campus life, it still has room to improve in terms of food offerings and logistical efficiency. With a few tweaks, it could truly become a standout feature in the West End Neighborhood.
