Hannah Restle is the perfect example of a student who gets to have the ideal university experience: she’s highly involved in her religious community, does intramural track, plays cello in a quartet, has a thriving social life and on top of all of that, one of the best jobs a student could ask for at McGill. Many people might recognize the bubbly and always-friendly Hannah from her shifts as a cashier at SNAX, the Arts Undergraduate Society café located in Leacock. Now in her third semester of working at SNAX, she has a lot to say about how she’s managed to juggle it into all of her other activities, and the kinds of McGill student and faculty she has met along the way. I interviewed Hannah piecemeal, taking advantage of the occasional lull between hectic periods during her Tuesday-afternoon shift.
HC (HerCampus): What was it like when you first started working at SNAX, and what have you learned since?
HR (Hannah Restle): Oh man, well the first day was a whirlwind of activity… there was definitely quite a learning curve involved. I can’t say I recall the first day fondly, it kinda felt like I was in a movie where people were moving fast-forward and I was moving slow-motion. But really, thanks to my fellow “SNAXian” coworkers, I soon learned the routine of our cozy café. The key is to strategize and prepare for the crazy in-between-class rushes. From 10:25-10:35, 11:25-11:35 etc. you better be prepared with multiple carafes of coffee, or you will be faced with unhappy un-caffeinated customers.
HC: Do you get the sense that you have “regulars”?
HR: We most certainly have our regulars and our favorites. A little known fact at SNAX is it’s possible to sign up for a New York Times subscription to be picked up Monday through Friday, so we have a small group that comes every day for their daily paper. I personally love our regulars – I rely on them for the current news, and interesting stories to get me through the longer shifts. They really define SNAX and keep it running.
HC: What is the most difficult part about working at Snax?
HR: The biggest challenge at SNAX is multi-tasking, while maintaining a calm and professional composure. It’s the combination of keeping the fresh pots of coffee rolling while quickly processing transactions, and dealing with the incoming orders that is the hardest, but also the most exhilarating. Even after working here at SNAX for a year, it still gives me a thrill, but I’m definitely more prepared to handle it than in those first weeks.
HC: What makes Snax so popular among students?
HR: It’s all about the location. We are nestled right in between everyone’s classes, and especially in the cold winter seasons (let’s be honest – for 90% of the school year) it’s a perfect place to warm up with a nice caffeinated beverage. In addition, the management really works hard to keep the prices affordable as well as provide students with really healthy and organic options. I really think our customers appreciate our commitment to being environmentally conscientious and sustainable, so they keep coming back!
HC: Do you have any funny stories from your experience working behind the cash?
HR: We definitely have some funny memories at SNAX when a customer is just a little too overtired, under-caffeinated or in one case, still drunk from their frat party the night before. One Friday morning, as I opened up shop at 8:00 am, a student came walking in, looking a little odd, and proceeded to ask for the “least nauseating food” we had. Luckily we could offer up our popular muffins to help him, and direct him to the nearby water fountain. We get all types of students, professors, and professors children at SNAX, and it’s truly a unique perspective to see the McGill community. At the end of the day, I am always impressed at how considerate the student body and faculty are to one another. It’s a daily occurrence to see someone in line help out the person in front of them whose short on change, or even pay for their meal if they forgot their wallet. For me, it definitely makes the campus of 25, 000 students feel a lot smaller.
For a dose of coffee and friendly service, you can find Hannah working at SNAX on Tuesday afternoons and Friday mornings, but SNAX is open from 8 AM to 6 PM every day, and is always staffed by friendly and professional students.