Due to a new student-run venture supported by QU Dining and the Quinnipiac University School of Business, restaurant-goers at the On the Rocks Pub won’t only be served by a waitstaff of their peers; the pub’s management team is now entirely made up of Quinnipiac students. 

After reopening for the fall 2021 semester, On the Rocks Pub has become the site for multiple nights of magic shows, student organization gatherings, music acts and entertainment, as well as serving as a fully-functioning restaurant and bar on Mondays, Thursdays and men’s ice hockey game days. 

The managers running the show are students Louis Stamoulis, a senior health science studies major in the 4+1 public relations program, Joseph Coverly, a junior international business and computer information systems double major and Savitri George, a senior accounting major in the 4+1 business program. 

The managers said they found out about the plan for students to take over the business last spring through an email sent to the School of Business and shared by multiple professors. 

Many students expressed interest in the managerial job, Stamoulis said, but the three managers were able to work with administration and QU Dining to secure the positions.

“Quinnipiac knew they wanted a student venture, and they thought that (the pub) would be a great place to do it,” Coverly said. “… And the benefits are awesome for us, right? Because when does a student get to run a business? We are making real life decisions and we’re seeing all of this before we hit the workforce.” 

 The On the Rocks Pub front house, including wait staff and managers, is currently composed only of students, with dining employees working as chefs in the back. The new student managers replaced non-student dining workers who are still stationed in other locations of university dining, Stamoulis said. 

The managers split the day-to-day responsibilities of running a business, with Stamoulis covering social media and programming, Coverly running staffing and training operations and George taking charge of financials. 

 “We’re growing in staff every single day.” Coverly said. “We’re seeing some great interest in and wanting to join this team—this family—and we just want to make this the place to be on Quinnipiac’s campus.” 

 The managers said they are hoping to bring in more student organizations, such as the acapella and orchestra groups, as entertainment for the pub.

 “(Hiring students) opens up more student jobs which is really nice because they’re hard to find,” said Megan Accardi, a junior 3+1 public relations major, about the new business model.

The managers said their business mantra is “for students, by students.” 

 “When students come in here and they want to sit and have a meal and they see that they’re being served by their friends—it’s being run by kids their age, by students—I think it’s really going to enhance the experience here,” Stamoulis said. 

 When it comes to juggling being a student and managing a business, George said that proper communication between the managerial team is paramount to their work relationship. 

 “I think (being a student manager) can be a little too much, but it’s more about having fun and working together,” George said. “We all lean on each other if we need help. We just say, ‘Hey, I can’t do this right now, help us out.’ We can tag along, and we work better as a team.” 

The new managers had an opportunity to show off their teamwork at a kick-off event at the pub on Monday, Sept. 12, which marked the opening of the pub for the new semester. The event was complete with a DJ, free raffles and a brand new menu. 

Students who attended the kick-off event said they were enthusiastic about the pub being under student management. 

“I think it’s great,” said Jillian Catalano, a junior 3+1 public relations major. “I think it opens up a sense of community especially for the York Hill campus, which is a little bit quieter. So I’m really excited.” 

Hennessy Spargo, a junior 3+1 marketing major, agreed that bringing in student workers benefits the restaurant and the workers themselves. 

“I think that (working as a student manager) would be great for the experience for the students and also maybe they’ll bring some student opinions to (the job),” Spargo said. 

The managers encouraged any student looking for work to consider joining the staff at the pub. They also said that any suggestions and feedback about the pub are welcome at [email protected]. 

“(On the Rocks Pub) is going to be the sickest place on Quinnipiac’s campus, every Monday and Thursday– not just the 12th– every Monday and Thursday,” Coverly said. 

Krystal Miller contributed to this reporting.