<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=05LpCZ_1FQ3kAUJ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=05LpCZ_1FQ3kAUJ00" width="1112" height="574" ><figcaption>Jackson Hipp/The Williams Record</figcaption></figure>The College has shut down Goodrich Coffee Bar indefinitely following a legal review that recommended the student-run coffee bar restructure its business model. A 2025 external review identified operational problems with Goodrich, which led to an internal review, Associate Director for Student Centers and Events Sam Boyden, Chief Communications Officer Meike Kaan, and Director of Risk Management and Procurement Sara Hammond wrote in a joint email to the Record.“That review identified several operational challenges related to the health code, ServSafe certification, HR compliance, inventory and financial controls, and other related issues,” they wrote. “It became clear that more comprehensive solutions were needed before Goodrich Coffee Bar could reopen this fall.”Goodrich’s reopening was originally planned for Sept. 10, the first day of classes. On Sept. 3, Boyden, the College’s advisor for Goodrich, emailed the coffee shop’s management team – Julia Dun Rappaport ’29, Jina Kang ’27, Ben Litvak-Hinenzon ’27, Niklas Obermüller ’28, Merrick Rash ’27, Emily Singer ’28, and Amy Susnea ’27 – to request a meeting.At the meeting on Sept. 9, Boyden told Goodrich management that the review had found several operational problems, and that they would need to restructure Goodrich’s operating model before it could reopen. The coffee shop’s management team told the Record that they have no record of health code or food safety violations, and their understanding is that the review was not prompted by a specific incident. They received no notice of the review or of any issues with Goodrich before the Sept. 9 meeting. As of Tuesday, the managers have received no written explanation for the pause in operations nor requirements to reopen.The College is yet to share the specific findings of their review publicly or with Goodrich management. According to the managers, at the Sept. 9 meeting, the College tasked them with creating a new business plan that includes using Goodrich’s revenue to hire a non-student employee to oversee the space during its operational hours. The employee would also be held liable in the case of any health code or human resources violation.Goodrich’s weekly operations consist of approximately 55 hours and 45 minutes, including both open hours and preparation time. Boyden declined to comment further about the College’s specific concerns about liability.Log Lunch, a weekly vegetarian lunch that is student-run and funded by the College, also runs without a College employee, but, unlike Goodrich, its student directors are ServSafe certified. ServSafe is a training program that offers food protection manager certification.In an interview with the Record, Town Health Inspector Ruth Russell said that most food establishments in Massachusetts are required to employ at least one person with a food protection manager certification.A ServSafe-certified individual must be on site during all operational hours, or can delegate responsibility to a person in charge (PIC). PICs are not certified, but have been trained to replace the food protection manager as the site’s food safety authority.At Log Lunch, a ServSafe-certified student is always present during food preparation and serving, according to Log Lunch director Zee Taylor ’27. Log Lunch does not employ an external supervisor and their faculty advisor does not have to be present while they operate.In contrast, Goodrich’s ServSafe certification has been held by Boyden, and the baristas and managers are not certified. Boyden was not present during Goodrich’s operational hours. Goodrich management said that the coffee bar has not operated with a PIC in the past, which, according to Russell, is a violation of Massachusetts’ health code. Russell said that a solution would be for Goodrich staff to become ServSafe certified or to be trained as PICs, and that neither process is prohibitively cost or time-intensive.The Record followed up with Boyden regarding why the College asked Goodrich to hire a full-time supervisor, while Log Lunch runs without one. Boyden declined to offer specifics. “The [Goodrich] student managers, their advisor, and the ’68 Center are looking at a number of possibilities and are working on a business plan to get Goodrich Coffee Bar back in operation as soon as possible,” he wrote.The closure of the bar has particularly affected its student employees. Goodrich barista Lyla Butler ’28 started an online petition in support of the coffee shop. In addition to advocating for its reopening, Butler also hopes the petition will lead to more transparency from the College administration regarding its decisions. “As a barista, but also as a person who spends all their time in Goodrich, to suddenly have that safe place undermined without really knowing why is very stressful,” she said in an interview with the Record. As of Tuesday, the petition has 508 signatures.Goodrich employs approximately 60 baristas, many of whom count the coffee shop as their only campus job, according to the Goodrich managers. The College administration informed Goodrich managers of the closure the day before the fall semester started. “I was counting on that money, and they didn’t even tell us in time to look for new jobs,” Butler said. “My biggest issue is the lack of communication between the administration and the students about why this is happening, and [not] helping students find feasible replacement options.”When asked about how the College plans to support Goodrich employees, Boyden, Kaan, and Hammond responded that the administration hopes to reopen the coffee shop as soon as possible. “We want the Goodrich Coffee Bar to continue to be a student-operated business; we want to honor that legacy and that critically important student experience,” they wrote. “We also want to recognize and commend the significant growth that Goodrich Coffee Bar has seen since its beginning in 2006-2007. In working to support that mission we also need to get the Goodrich Coffee Bar to a place where its operations are safe, legally compliant and sustainable for the long term.”For many students, Goodrich has served as a hub for the campus community. Sophia Clavenna ’27, who describes herself as a regular Goodrich attendee, noted the value of communal spaces like Goodrich. “It’s … [a place]that everyone has access to on campus,” she said. The coffee shop has long been a haven for performance groups. For David Cañez ’27.5, head director of the stand-up and sketch group People Against Comedy (PAC), Goodrich’s closure means that there are fewer opportunities for performance groups to engage with the student body. “[PAC] had the brainchild of hosting [a stand-up show] in Goodrich,” he said. “There’s drinks, there’s food, there’s a stage… But with the closure of Goodrich we won’t really have the random-chance crowd of people that are gonna stumble upon us performing on their regular Wednesday night study session.”Students are also having difficulty finding suitable alternatives to the Goodrich menu. The cafe provided breakfast options such as bagels, yogurt, and coffee on one meal swipe. “It’s nice to be able to get food on swipes, or a drink,” Clavenna said. “Now, you go to [Tunnel City Coffee] and spend $7 on a latte instead, and I don’t have $7 to spend on a latte.”Cole Leiter ’14 said that working at Goodrich as its program director was a defining experience of his time at the College. “Goodrich really represents Williams College at its best,” he said. “It gave me a lot of the skills that I apply every single day in my job running a nonprofit organization.”“If they don’t [come to a resolution], you lose a space that is driven by students, centers the needs of students and is a part of basically a third of the student body’s everyday routine,” he added.According to Boyden, Kaan, and Hammond, the College is aiming to have Goodrich reopen this academic year. Goodrich management wrote that because they have not received written requirements for reopening, they cannot provide a timeline. “We are doing everything within our control to move the process forward and reopen as soon as we are able,” the managers wrote in a joint email to the Record. “As soon as we have meaningful news to share, our community will hear it from us.”Until then, it is unlikely that student discontent about Goodrich’s closure will cease. “[PAC has] a budget for snacks. But at the end of the day, nothing’s going to replace a warm bagel with matcha on a cold, rainy night,” Cañez said. </div></body>

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The College has shut down Goodrich Coffee Bar indefinitely following a legal review that recommended the student-run coffee bar restructure its business model. A 2025 external review identified operational problems with Goodrich, which led to an internal review, Associate Director for Student Centers and Events Sam Boyden, Chief Communications Officer Meike Kaan, and Director of Risk Management and Procurement Sara Hammond wrote in a joint email to the Record.

College shuts down Goodrich Coffee Bar, citing need to restructure

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The College has shut down Goodrich Coffee Bar indefinitely following a legal review that recommended the student-run coffee bar restructure its business mo

College shuts down Goodrich Coffee Bar, citing need to restructure

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