Two restaurants in the Stamp Student Union food court, McDonald’s and Sbarro, will close permanently on Nov. 23, according to a Tuesday tweet from Stamp.
It’s with a heavy heart that we share that we’ll be saying goodbye to our McDonald’s and our Sbarro. Both will be closing for good on November 23.
It’s a bummer, but we’re glad to have had so many meals with them over the years.
— STAMP (@thestampumd) November 17, 2020
Although the restaurants were stable prior to the pandemic, labor expenses and food costs were going up but profits weren’t increasing, said Dining Services spokesperson Bart Hipple.
“The pandemic certainly has not helped,” Hipple said. “This has been a long, harsh pandemic.”
The two restaurants are not the only ones in Stamp that have been affected by the pandemic. Other restaurants in the building have closed temporarily, including Subway and Moby Dick.
The decision about what will replace these restaurants will be made by Stamp. Hipple said Dining Services will make recommendations to Stamp based on the overall menu in the food court, but the decision is ultimately Stamp’s.
The staff working at Sbarro are Dining Services employees, and Dining Services will find other work for them. But the McDonald’s is operated separately from the university, so staffing decisions are a question for the franchise, he said.
