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Syracuse University sophomore David Barbier Jr. orders from Goldstein Alumni and Faculty Center Restaurant five times a week. His week is not complete without some of his favorite meals: the chicken alfredo pasta, buffalo chicken caesar sandwich and salmon.

“I like to be spontaneous and check what they have for the specials,” Barbier said.

Goldstein receives over 300 orders a day, said Olivia Velazquez, a senior who has worked at the restaurant for over three years. With a 20-person staff, Goldstein provides daily specials and cooked-to-order meals, using fresh local ingredients, such as bread from Pastabilities and rolls from Di Lauro’s Bakery and Pizza.

Despite many restaurants across the country struggling due to the coronavirus pandemic, Goldstein has found creative ways to succeed, said Keone Weigl, marketing and promotions manager of SU Food Services via email. Due to COVID-19, Goldstein is only open for pick up and delivery. This year, it has implemented a meal swipe option that has become popular among students and has doubled the number of orders the restaurant receives a week, said manager Sydney Pajack.

Goldstein is not currently offering indoor dining because of COVID-19 restrictions and has instead set up a takeout window on their patio. Julia Walker | Contributing Writer

“This semester has been very smooth, and there have been many changes behind the scenes,” Pajack said. “It is a team effort, which our whole department is all about.”

In the kitchen, some chefs have worked together at Goldstein for over 30 years. Pajack said the hidden backbone of Goldstein consists of the three chefs: Jackie Giddings, Sally Chowaniec and Moira Dick.

But the team’s relationship does not end when they leave the kitchen. Giddings said the staff enjoys eating breakfast, dressing up for Halloween and having holiday celebrations together. Working at Goldstein brings students closer to employees, who can act as mentors, Giddings said. The most rewarding part of Pajack’s job is building relationships with the students who work there.

“The kitchen staff of three women have perfected all the recipes, and put their heart and souls into building (the) brand behind the scenes,” Pajack said.

Because of COVID-19 limitations combined with half of the staff graduating last year, there were some concerns for the restaurant going into the new season, Pajack said. But by expanding hours and launching a new meal swipe plan, she said Goldstein was able to recover from possible roadblocks.

“This has never been done before, and staff had to get creative so they could still serve customers in a safe and efficient manner,” Weigl said via email.

Goldstein also had to adhere to public health guidelines, including frequent sanitation and glove changes, required masks for employees, social distancing signage and limitations on in-person dining. And since the dining room is closed this year, Goldstein set up a takeout window on their patio.

The restaurant has also been unable to do catering this year so far, Velazquez said, but staff members have had their hours extended this year because the restaurant is serving dinner.

“The staff has been really respectful and very hardworking, which has made my job and my boss’s job easier,” Pajack said.

Published on October 4, 2020 at 9:22 pm