Just admit it: Brunch at Rendezvous isn’t that great

Everyone calm down

Saturday mornings are meant for sleeping in, and getting over the hangover from last night’s ‘social event’. Things get even tougher if you’re not a morning person — everything just seems an extra bit harder to do. “How’d it ever come to this?” you say to yourself, before realizing your throat hurts too much to say anymore. By the time you’ve freshened up and are ready for the day, it’s 1pm and your starving. You’re just getting started.

Whether you’re a morning person or not, food always gets you going. If you study at UCLA, you’re subject to some of the best college food in the country. The only problem is, you’re not the only one who thinks so. You rush down to the dining hall thinking there won’t be much of a wait. Unfortunately, you’re swept up by the crowd and end up at the back of a very long line.

This was the way weekends happened for a long time, when there was no takeout service available. That was before Rendezvous decided to open its doors to hungry students. The main difference was that now students would be presented with a piece of paper with a number on it — when called, the student would go and collect their meal. It was intended to be a much faster process than waiting thirty minutes in a ‘make your own omelet’ line. This way students could wake up late and still get a meal that wouldn’t take precious hours off the clock (which is really appreciated in the quarter system).

There was a lot of hype around this idea, which had been pending for several months. We thought the food would be just as good as on weekdays: the Asian combos, quesadillas, and burritos are to die for. But instead what we got was this…   

Now, I’m not particularly picky with food, but I just think there’s a valid reason behind people’s frustration when they’re confronted with that first thing in the morning. Chocolate-flavored scrambled eggs anyone?

As if that wasn’t enough, there’s still the infamous burritos to consider. The packaging belies its ‘eat on the go’ motif, perfect for that ‘busy college student’ image.

Packaging aside, it’s the food that’s most important, and to be honest it looks all right… but that’s about where it ends.

I’m not suggesting I don’t appreciate the hard work of the people working behind the counter to serve the food. Rendezvous being open during weekends only adds to students’ options. However, the actual impact wasn’t as great as I — and the student body at large — would have liked. One student even went as far as to say: “It’s much more efficient to eat at the dining halls because you get hungry way too quickly after eating an unsatisfying meal.” 

Regardless of the quality, I’m still grateful Rendezvous has this brunch option. It may not be my personal Saturday morning go-to, but hey, at least it exists — that’s all we can really ask for.

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