Patiently waiting for the clocks on their iPhones to read 9:00 pm, hungry students, who most likely missed dinner, crowd in and form lines in front of Center Stage. As the ever-anticipated time approaches, the students nearly reach mob status, lines stretching almost to the cashiers. The only thing standing between them and sustenance is a crowd control barrier with a flimsy elastic belt.
On the other side of the counter, you’d expect the employees to be overwhelmed, scared for their lives even. It is only a matter of time before one of these kids hops the barrier and forcibly takes the food that has teasingly been placed in the hot wells before them. Rather than being terrified, however, two of the employees look almost excited, like they can’t wait for what’s about to begin. Something is coming (no, not one of the rogue students hopping the barrier).
The clocks hit 9 pm, “Cashin’ Out” by Ca$h Out blasts from behind the counter, and you’ve officially entered Wrap City.
Seniors Eric Jackson aka “Spray and Pray” and Rob Rossi aka “Head Shot” proudly dubbed the wrap station at late night with this new name during their shifts, a play on the “Wrapsody” station at Mac and the song “Rack City” by Tyga, which is a staple on the Late Night playlist, of course. Both began working Late Night at Lower in fall 2010.
“When we came to Lower, the wrap game was in shambles. No one [Late Night Employees] wanted to do wraps,” Rob explains, donning his Late Night shirt and hat during his break on a Thursday night.
“We had to be the saviors of the wrap game,” Eric put it simply, while eating one of his own wrap creations.
Eric (left) and Rob (right) doing their “wrap city” hand symbol
They explain how the best food at Upper, hands down, is the Honey Q. Not only is it delicious, but also no matter how many frosh get in the line, it never gets backed up. The employees use an effective assembly line process where the first person puts in the sauce and veggies and the second puts in the chicken and wraps it. Deciding to borrow that process, Eric explains that they knew they “were onto something big.”
Adopting this method, the duo cleaned up the Late Night wrap station, which used to be hectic and messy, and really the wraps just sucked.
“No one even knew how to wrap,” Rob critiques.
Not only did the boys perfect the wrap system, they gave it a personality: the birth of Wrap City.
If you enter Late Night on a Tuesday or Thursday this semester (the two days the pair works together), you’ll likely hear music pumping before you cross the threshold into the food area. Some of their favorite songs on the playlist include “No Hands” by Waka Flocka Flame, opener “Cashin’ Out” by Ca$h Out, “Best I Ever Had” by Drake and of course “Rack City” by Tyga. But don’t be mistaken; they have a soft spot, too.
“We appear as hard thugs in all black, but we have a heart,” Rob confesses. T Swift, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Celine Dion also earn a spot on the Wrap City playlist. Besides singing (or rapping) along to the music, the pair can be seen dancing, joking, and drawing in people’s wraps with hot sauce (they’ll write your name, draw a smiley face, and sometimes write song lyrics). If you come in during “Teach Me How to Dougie” or “You’re a Jerk,” you may even be privileged with Eric doing the dances.
Above everything else, the two explain that they do this to make people smile. They love their customers and want them to feel important. You may be thinking, “Okay, I can buy that working on a Tuesday is okay, but what about Thursday? All the drunk kids must be annoying and then you can’t go out, which sucks.”
You couldn’t be more wrong.
The boys love the intoxicated customers they get on Thursdays (and sometimes Tuesdays, you crazy seniors). Rob clarifies, “There’s no way I’d rather be out than be at Wrap City.” Plus, they’re basically famous (Her Campus Celeb status, after all), receiving text messages from customers saying it’s the best wrap they’ve ever had. Eric even admits he once was stopped outside of Lower in his normal, everyday clothes by a fan who had to confirm that he indeed makes wraps at Late Night.
If you ever need an excuse to go to Late Night (although being drunk, hungry, or just plain bored should be enough), come witness the greatness that is Wrap City. As wrap artists at the top of the wrap game, their service is unrivaled, especially at midnight. If you ain’t been a part of it, at least you got to witness.