Of all the student eateries on campus, head and shoulders above the rest lies Yaz’s restaurant. Located in the basement of the Morrissey community in Pangborn hall this year, Yaz’s has survived the transplant to a new location and thrived despite the limitations of existing in a transition dorm. A quick disclaimer: I may be slightly biased in my appraisal as both a Manorite and a Yaz’s employee — but ask any Yaz’s customer and they’ll sing the praises of an ever-growing food empire (If you want more proof, just check out our Yelp reviews!).
Yaz’s, established in 2001, was named after former Manorite Carl Yastrzemski, Baseball Hall of Famer and Triple Crown winner. While Yastrzemski has never visited his namesake, the restaurant strives to live up to his greatness, making significant improvements in resources this year. We serve mac and cheese with meat toppings, pork and chicken sliders, tacos and our signature specialty and standard shakes. Equipped with pressure cookers, multimixers and about a dozen crockpots, we’re quickly becoming a legitimate machine. Some say we ran Reckers into the ground, but that might’ve just been their terrible business model.
We also have gone eco-friendly this year, with biodegradable boats, straws and cups. All that and low prices make Yaz’s a hot spot from Sunday night to Wednesday night. But what separates Yaz’s from the rest of the bunch is the fun we have in the kitchen and around the restaurant. Yaz’s brings Morrissey together. Take, for example, the eating competitions held in the lounge outside the restaurant, whether the “Triple Crown”: over three pounds of food in slider form, or the “Nacho Libra”: a huge plate of nachos with various toppings. Dozens of Morrissey guys will gather around the man or men attempting to defeat the challenge, and win or lose, it’s always a fun time for everyone. Or, stop by for one of our special nights like “Breakfast at Yaz’s,” where you can enjoy the customized pancakes and the renowned Dayman, who besides fighting the Nightman, also provides a delicious egg-bacon-tortilla snack. Or, stop by during Hood Brother Night and purchase Hood Brothers, ranging from snack size to briefcase size.
There’s never a slow night at Yaz’s. The last shift I worked was breakfast edition, and we were making pancakes with all combinations of toppings. However, after we had closed up for the night, we were still left with a bunch of pancake batter, so what are we gonna do with it, just throw it out? No no no, we just make a huge “Pancake Loaf,” spread the batter over the whole griddle, and serve it to the remaining customers chilling outside. Whether it’s making giant pancakes after-hours, or devising new shake flavors (chocolate peppermint Oreo, caramel apple, mint peanut butter), it’s always just a bunch of dudes having fun and making good food.
Having fun isn’t the only goal of Yaz’s, though. All the profits made by the restaurant go to St. Joseph’s Hill school in Uganda, so if you spend your money here, know that it’s going towards a good cause. Yaz’s is open Sunday night to Wednesday night, so if you like good food, good causes, low prices and a fun environment, stop by Pangborn Hall and experience the best dorm food on campus.
