Saxbys’ grand opening last week marked the debut of a fully student-run café in the Dyson Center.

Frankie the Fox, Nick Bayer, the CEO of Saxbys, Inaugural Student CEO of Saxbys, Mabel Aronson '25, Michael Frungillo, the CEO of Gourmet Dining and Dean William Lamb at the ribbon cutting at the grand opening of Saxbys in the Dyson Center. Photo by Elizabeth Baumgardner '25

Students, staff and faculty alike were overly ready for the grand opening of Saxbys on Sept. 24 in Marist College’s new Dyson Center.

Saxbys, a partner of Gourmet Dining, has been highly anticipated. It is entirely student-run and has one of the most diverse menus on campus, with all the beverages of a coffee shop and all the culinary options of a brunch place. Last week, the café teased its commencement with a preemptive launch, where students could order nearly anything for free.

On opening day, the lobby of the recently reconstructed Dyson Center was jam-packed — students, faculty, social media teams and performers filled the space. Frankie the Fox, Marist Cheerleading, the Enharmonics and a panel of speakers made appearances in the morning to generate excitement for and officiate the grand opening.

Inaugural Student CEO Mabel Aronson '25 at the grand opening of Saxbys in the Dyson Center. Photo by Elizabeth Baumgardner '25

Time and again, the new eatery was referred to as an “experiential learning platform.” Saxbys’ CEO Nick Bayer asserted that the student employment experience is core to the company’s charge, describing it as an “education company disguised as a coffee company.” Bayer also offered his profuse thanks to President Kevin C. Weinman for extending the opportunity and to Mabel Aronson ‘25 for taking on the role of Student CEO — that’s Café Executive Officer.

Dr. Will Lamb, Marist’s dean of the School of Management, also spoke of his excitement for the addition of an experiential dining location, thanking Dean of Students Matt McMahon and other standout members of the President’s cabinet.

Following a ceremonial ribbon cutting, floods of expectant customers lined up to get a first taste of the many drinks and foods on the menu.

The new café was undoubtedly overwhelmed by the mass amount of orders, with sales available on Grubhub mobile ordering and in-person at the counter. Even so, the optimistic atmosphere was palpable.

“I feel like we have great potential,” said Saxbys team lead Bella Riella ‘27. “We have a big space, a big team and well-established menu items. The employees know what they’re doing. I don’t have any doubts that it will be successful.”

Students had largely positive feelings towards the new campus dining option. When asked about her order, Marisa Brown ‘27 said, “I ordered the ‘Vacay All Day.’ It’s so good. It has a really nice consistency. Also…it’s pretty.” Her sister, Christina Brown ‘27, added: “And the pickle grilled cheese! 8/10 for me.”

Grilled cheese, iced lattes and smoothie drinks appeared to be the most popular orders, based on the dozens of orders that covered the pickup area throughout the day.

Riella and coworker Charlotte Murphy ‘27 agree that despite the stress of dealing with the initial demand, the job will be worth the experience. Both said that although they could have opted for an on-campus job that revolves around office work, they believe a coffee shop might look better on a resume and grant them more substantial hands-on learning.

As the Marist community tries all the new Saxbys products, from crumb cake to energy “rush” drinks, the café is set to become a new campus favorite.

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