After a two-year hiatus the “best little hallway on campus” —the Tilley Cafe—is back up and running. This week the Brunswickan team sat down with the face of the Tilley Cafe, Doreen, to find out how COVID affected business and what the hottest items of the semester are.
After reopening only a few weeks ago, business at the Tilley Cafe has been slow, but according to Doreen the item students can not get enough of—other than tea or coffee—is pizza. The pizza is so popular that all three types on offer have been selling out. 
It seems that the pizza is such a hit that the usual pizza prejudice one could expect has not been an issue. Doreen also proudly emphasized the daily soups, which she asserted are very popular. Unlike the indiscriminate pizza sales, Doreen did mention that the seafood option, available every Friday, sold particularly well—so mark your calendar.
Despite their current popularity, students have unfortunately been missing out on these quick and easy meals for over two years, as the cafe was shut down due to COVID. An unsurprising side effect of this closure is that many new students have no idea the Tilley Cafe exists.
“Even on Friday, this one young girl came through and she went ‘oh when did this come?’ Well, it’s always been here,” said Doreen.
In fact, the Tilley Cafe has been a staple at UNB for almost 14 years. Working at the Tilley cafe since it opened, Doreen is excited to see new faces in the cozy corner.
“I’m just glad to be back; I’m glad to be up and running,” she said between serving eager customers.
So where has the face of the Tilley Cafe been for the past two years? Of course, for the first year of COVID all campus restaurants were shut down; but last year, some lucky students could catch Doreen working at the Harriet Irving Library’s Cafe.
However, Doreen did admit that the Tilley Cafe is, “ a little bit more personable … smaller and you get to chit chat a bit more.” Some students would even argue that Doreen’s ‘chit-chat’ is the best part of the little Cafe.
Always humble, Doreen graciously deflected the idea that some students may start a fan club just for her. Instead, she offered up the idea of a Tilley Cafe Fan Club. So, keep an eye out at the next Student Union Clubs and Societies Fair!
The Tilley Cafe is in Tilley’s main hallway on the first floor, so make sure to stop in and enjoy a little ‘chit chat’ along with cafe treats at the coziest corner of the campus.
