The Crumb Cafe is set to reopen at its new location in Sharples Commons this Friday, Oct. 25, at 8 p.m. following a delay communicated via email to the student body on Sept. 30.
In an interview with The Phoenix, Ashley Rehrig ’26, head director of the Crumb Cafe, provided additional insight into the delay and shared her vision for the cafe moving forward.
Rehrig pointed to two key reasons behind the delay: the unfinished setup of their kitchen and their pushed-back hiring process. “Some of the pieces here are not in place,” she explained while standing in Crumb’s new kitchen, “and we’re still awaiting the delivery for some really fun surprises that we have in store this semester.”
When asked about the relocation from Clothier Hall to the Dining and Community Commons, Rehrig clarified that the decision was made by the college’s management, instead of Crumb’s student leadership. “I was just told we were going to be moving,” she said.
The Phoenix reached out to Ben Shalk, assistant director of the Office of Student Engagement (OSE), for more information. Shalk explained via email that Crumb could no longer stay in Clothier, which served as a temporary space during the construction of the Dining and Community Commons. The new building was designed to incorporate Crumb: “This new space will place the cafe at the heart of student life and allow it to operate without needing to wait for Dining to close, and facilitate closer collaborations between Dining and OSE,” Shalk said.
“This is an exciting opportunity for the Crumb Cafe to not only utilize a new space but also to develop a sustainable program that will benefit the entire student community,” Shalk went on to say. “With the enhanced visibility and accessibility offered by the new location, Crumb can expand its offerings, foster a vibrant atmosphere, and create lasting connections with students. This move will allow the cafe to implement innovative initiatives, host events, and engage in collaborations that enrich the dining experience and strengthen its role as a central hub for student interaction and community building.”
Rehrig also cited a technical glitch in the hiring process as a contributor to the delay. The cafe aimed to hire 30 employees, ten managers, and five directors this semester, but only five were able to receive their offers through the JobX platform due to system errors. She and the other directors have been working closely with Shalk and Tim Smith, retail manager of Swarthmore Dining, to address these challenges.
It took longer to resolve, Rehrig explained, with Shalk being on leave at the time. “The good news is that, after having many conversations via email with other members of OSE who are still in office and with Tim as well, we are slowly but surely hiring people using their student ID numbers,” Rehrig said.
As the only student-run diner at Swarthmore, the Crumb Cafe holds a unique position on campus. “We are a late-night eatery that opens seven days a week at 8 p.m. to the public. We take meal swipes, dining dollars, and Swat Points so that anybody on campus can eat from Crumb at any time they like. I would also argue that we serve more of a variety of food and drinks compared to other dining places,” Rehrig noted.
Rehrig spoke highly of her team members’ flexibility and their willingness to cooperate. “What’s really special about Crumb is that you get so many opportunities to demonstrate your hands-on experience, whether it be customer service, spitting drinks using your chemistry knowledge, or making food and just trying out different combinations that you might not have the chance to try somewhere else,” she said. “Crumb is all about collaboration, and the employee community is so tight-knit. They know how to work together under pressure. If we ever run out of something, we can still open for business because I know someone in this kitchen would have a random idea they’ve been wanting to demonstrate.
Rehrig explained that the working environment at Crumb encourages problem-solving and critical thinking. “Though we’re mainly serving food, the employees gain so many transferable skills from working in a food environment that I think many Swatties might underestimate or might not even be familiar with.”
She also noted the leadership opportunities available to Crumb’s student employees. “You don’t necessarily sit down at a desk, but you can actively be a leader every night that you’re on shift. And in addition, unlike the other food places, we collaborate with student-run organizations to bring more light onto them, what they do and all of their good work, and to serve something delicious to go with it.”
However, being a student-run team comes with challenges and requires a lot of negotiation. Rehrig recounted a major disagreement with the OSE over the cafe’s proposal to hire student musicians. “I brought up that I had three potential employees for whom I wanted to create a ‘musician’ position on JobX. Ben Shalk expressed that he was a bit uncomfortable with that, and then informed us that he was going to be leaving for a two-week vacation abroad when Fall Break was approaching,” Rehrig said.
Shalk responded to this in his email to The Phoenix: “The employment of student performers is not a part of the core operations of Crumb Cafe’s purpose, which is to provide late-night dining options for the student body. This would be a supplemental fun component and voluntary activity not based in student employment.”
However, Rehrig pointed out that Crumb has had musicians in the past, which is why she felt it would be easier to bring back. “Coming from a performing arts high school, I believe that musicians and artists should be paid for their work unless it’s explicitly voluntary. We wanted to have our own Crumb’s house band to bring some live entertainment for our customers.”
“When meeting with the OSE and the Swarthmore Dining, we would propose something to them, and then just hope for the best and negotiate if possible. But at the end of the day, I feel I am just a student, and they may recognize that too,” Rehrig commented.
As a beloved venue with a 30-year history, Crumb Cafe is undergoing significant changes. While maintaining many of its longstanding traditions, the cafe is embracing reforms following its recent relocation and the establishment of a new leadership team. Moving forward, Rehrig sees it as crucial to keep Crumb entirely student-run and continue the legacy of past head directors.
“They’ve really set a good example of when it’s good to be stubborn and when it’s good to negotiate and to be professional as much as possible … We’re trying our best to kind of remain connected to the traditions and all the things people love about Crumb, but we’re also trying to bring in some improvements for not just the staff, but for the customers as well, just adding a bit more structure and a bit more fun,” Rehrig said.
As Rehrig suggested, changes are taking place both in the cafe, where new dishes and an additional prep shift will be launched, and online, with new publicity strategies, feedback mechanisms, and the design of a squirrel mascot.
“We will have a different customer flow now that we have this new space with two doors. A major change is that customers will be able to see right inside the kitchen where our food is being made, rather than being restricted from coming back in,” she underscored.
Rehrig told The Phoenix that more communications and collaboration between Crumb and the customers are expected, with the help of the new Social Media & Creativity Director, Leia Immanuel ’26.
Rehrig wants to emphasize interaction and involvement with the customers on Instagram and to be fully transparent and honest with the student body that Crumb is serving. “If they don’t like something, I want to hear them say that, and if they love the way something tastes, then I’m happy to bring it back for another evening,” she noted.
In addition to classic menu items, the team plans to introduce new dishes along with promotional punch cards that offer special deals. Among their new cuisines, Rehrig especially recommended the flatbread pizza and a mysterious “surprising cold beverage”.
“We have planned out some surprises on our grand opening day, whether that be a special collaboration with a really fun club or just some prizes to give away,” she added. “We have over 30 specials plotted and already added to my ordering sheet. We are ready to open.”