New Micro Market Opens at 555 Penn
Read Time:3 Minute, 8 Second
By: Rowan Humphries
Edited By: Alexandra Huggins
On November 8, in response to student demand and SGA advocacy, a new food space opened in SAIS’ Bloomberg Center. The “Grab & Go Micro Market” is located on the 4th floor of the new SAIS building in room 476. It features a variety of drinks, prepackaged food and snacks, and operates throughout building hours via a self-service checkout process.
The new food spot on campus, which comes in addition to the Question Coffee Bar on the 7th floor, is “available to all members of our community, including faculty, staff, and students,” said Dean Jim Steinberg in an email to the SAIS community. Steinberg also noted in his email that the inception of the Micro Market was “based on demand” and feedback received during the University’s planning process.
Steinberg also noted in his email that SAIS plans to open a Market Café on the first floor in the spring of 2024. To cover student food needs in the meantime, SAIS’ SGA played a key role in working with the administration to accelerate an interim solution. As SGA Vice President Felix Spiekerkoetter told me, “We were initially involved in advocating for a quick food option until the [Market Café] opens.” SGA advocated for a more flexible check-out system and extended opening hours to accommodate students at school early in the morning and late at night. “We [the SGA] see the 24/7 option as a very valuable addition to the current offerings at 555,” said Spiekerkoetter.
Earlier this week, I checked out the market’s offerings, which include pre-packaged sandwiches ($11.00), to-go salads ($12.00), snacks like cookies and chips, a variety of drinks (including $6.00 organic coconut water but not coffee) and, strangely, macaroons ($9.50). There was also a microwave available for students to heat up their food. My personal favorites so far include the Green Chili Breakfast Burrito ($6.75, stuffed with cheese and potatoes) and the Coke ($3.25), which, as several students correctly asserted in the SAIS Signal group chat, always tastes better in a glass bottle.
Many students I spoke with highlighted the market’s high prices. “I think it’s a promising step and it has quite a variety of food, though it is rather expensive…the price point is almost unsustainable, and I think it will limit who uses it,” said Nick Kalams, a second-year MAIR student. “My hope is that they see that if the sales are low, it’s not because people don’t want it, it’s because we can’t afford or want to pay $11 for premade sandwiches or $9 for a small tray of ambiguous cheese and meats,” he said.
Tesea Conte, a second-year MAIR student, assessed the Micro Market succinctly: “Hippeas 10/10, pricing 1/10.”
A whiteboard soliciting student suggestions and requests placed in the Micro Market was covered with ideas when I stopped by a few days after the market opened. Some suggested “beer + bourbon” – perhaps a tall order – while others advocated for “more filling options.” Many comments on the board critiqued the pricing, with one comment “too expensive, doesn’t have to be fancy stuff!” receiving a lot of +1s from others. One student asked the question on all our minds: “y [sic] the macaroons?”
Another student hoped the Micro Market would offer allergen-friendly items, including gluten-free, vegan, and nut-free options to accommodate students with food sensitivities and allergies.
While food prices are higher than many students would like, Spiekerkoetter made clear the conversation is not over yet, emphasizing that the SGA’s next goal is to push for lowered prices for the market and for all on-campus food options.
