Time to make the donuts .. and sandwhiches .. and meatball subs... and pizza.. and..

It's 6:30 in the morning. The muffins are in the oven, and the soup is on the stove. Aramark employees busy chopping produce, and brewing coffee. Rebecca Stafford Student Center comes to life, well before the day's hundred plus student daily traffic. What begins a relatively dormant and peaceful dining area, laden with sparkingly clean tables and chairs, will transform in a short time into the busiest area of Monmouth University.

The Student Center plays host to all walks of campus patrons, ranging from commuters, faculty, and even resident students. With a wide array of facilities and services available to it's visitors, much preparation is put into getting things ready for the daily traffic that will make its way through.

"There is a lot of food to prepare before the day begins," said Cheryl Stewart, Retail Director of Campus Services at the Student Center. Usually, she is in charge of technical preparation, assigning employees to their various stations of the day, taking inventory of what food is being served and what needs to be re-ordered, and, overall, making sure that each service facility is prepared to operate smoothly. Today, however, the Student Center is down an employee. So Stewart humbly sits behind a cash register, ringing up her customers items, and working amongst her staff.

"You do what you need to do to make the customers happy," she comments, after ringing up a student's breakfast omelette. "I'm here for them."

At two of the more frequented stations of the Student Center, the deli and italian-style eatery, Dottie and Annie feverishly set up their areas, respectively, assembling their foods with a degree of care, knowing that in just a few hours it will be gone. Despite being rather focused and diligently, the two appear relaxed while preparing their foods for the upcoming day, taking the time to talk with each other and the many employees working in the student center that morning.

"I prepare all the sandwhiches every morning," Dottie says, placing another turkey and cheese sandwhich in it's 'Grab-n-Go' plastic container. "Classes come out at all different times, so you never know when you'll need extra."

The Student Center is not the only place Dottie will be outfitting with her delicious items. The C-Store Convenience Store, Bey Hall kiosk, and the new Guggenheim Library Cafe also offers sandwhiches made in the deli. In fact, most of the foods and beverages sold at campus food facilities are prepared and delivered from the Student Center, including soups and salads. Acting as an the university's food epicenter, the Student Center not only preps itself for customer service, but the entire campus as well.

"Preparation is always necessary," said Annie, who's culinary fame comes in the form of sausage and peppers pizza, or a new student favorite: meatball subs. "When classes are out, it helps to have things ready."

Though so much time spent in getting ready for the day, the employees take little time to take breath. Annie claims she only takes 30 minutes out of her day for a breather. However, she says that experience and routine make breaks relatively unnecessary.

"You get used to it," she comments, placing a finishing touch of toppings on a pizza. "I've been her for 25 years, and you go from one thing to another. It goes by quick, because there is always something to do."

"There is really no time to relax," says Stewart. "My moment is the time I spend walking over to the dining hall for lunch. I have to be here for my customers, and keep them happy."

At 9:30, another student walks to a table, carrying a bagel and orange juice. By now, the quiet hum of the early morning Student Center has risen to louder sounds of students conversations, and television broadcasts. In another two hours, the dining area will become a living entity of students and staff, sitting for their lunch, or running through for a quick cup of coffee. Only at 7:30 PM will the staff of the Student Center breath a sigh of relief, reveling in another routine day of customer service.