A new and improved Marlin Grille

Executive Chef Vincent LaMonte, along with his younger brother Lathan, now the Grille’s night manager, have plans to turn around the Marlin Grille.

The Grille is no longer open on weekends. Weekend food is now served in the cafeteria, due to “high cost and high confusion,” in the words of LaMonte. The Cafe’s back door and front door have switched place.

LaMonte describes the Grille as his “baby,” and he disclosed several important changes to the traditional setup, to “make the food better and more appealing.” He notes that the drain of the new services and staff required for the Grille to make this switchover have necessitated some cutbacks and removals. First, equivalency, will now be limited to the “Specials of the Day,” with each station having a different special. Therefore, if you want to use equivalency, you have to have a Special. The condiment pumps have been replaced by single-package condiments, which are seen as a way to reduce waste and mess and increase variety.

The Hot Chocolate/Cappuccino machine is gone. LaMonte described the unit and it’s products as not of high quality. Hot chocolate is still available, on request. LaMonte describes this as a way to streamline and improve grill operation, which he termed “strategic reconstruction.”

Not all the news is about reductions. Far from it. Lathan LaMonte detailed the new program at the grill, “Grab ‘n’ Go,” as a store-atmosphere quick lunch. This has been made possible due to the more efficient setup at the Grille. Both LaMonte brothers noted that, while the program is just getting started and will take a couple weeks to run completely, it will offer cold entrees and sandwiches, some of which can be warmed in microwaves, for the student on the go or someone who wants a meal later at night.

The chicken sandwiches and wraps are a new addition. While the grilled chicken is the same price, the former product- a compressed, formed pre-cooked meat patty- has been replaced with an actual whole four-ounce chicken breast. “It costs us $.30 more a sandwich, but we kept the price the same. It’s higher quality and healthier,” said LaMonte. He asked students to be “patient and let us convince you (the changes are for the best).”

All the new employees hailed the advent of what is viewed as healthier choices, such as gourmet pizzas and wraps available daily. Lathan LaMonte noted that the focaccia bread sandwiches are healthy and hot sellers.

“We can’t keep them on the shelves,” he said, as he brought more supplies into the Grille kitchen. “It’s like we’re opening a whole new place here - new management and mostly new staff.” When describing his vision for the new Grille, he focused on having more variety.

“We are going to move beyond just a burger and fries. You can still get that, but there are more options now.” Chef LaMonte noted, “The smoothie bar is coming next week,” bringing to conclusion a project he had in mind from the time he came to VWC. He explained that the machinist was coming to do the installation soon.

“We’ll have two fixed flavors and a frozen cappuccino flavor,” he said. He advised students concerned with the changes or with thoughts or comments to stop by and talk to him. He added that he was “striving, working every day, to make the food better.”