A throwback menu for a timeless institution: Celebrating 75 years of the ‘Ratty’

Xu stopped by the Ratty with her friends, sophomores Samantha Taylor and Micaela Schillinger. Although they knew they would get a good meal, Taylor said, they weren't expecting to be served a culinary history lesson with their dinner.

"We just showed up, and it was a super special day," Taylor said. "The Ratty is so good with things like this - sometimes you feel like you're eating the same thing for a while, and then suddenly there's something new and unexpected."

For Vice President of Dining Programs George Barboza, events like the anniversary dinner represent some of the most meaningful moments in his time at Brown. Since the 1980s, Barboza has helped shape the culinary landscape of the University, collaborating with student organizations to host culturally themed meals like Soul Food Night or bringing in guest chefs for high-end kitchen takeovers.

"I really do love when we host the special theme and pop-up events," Barboza said. "The food at the Ratty is always good, but these are the times when we can really go above and beyond."

Having witnessed decades of food trends in campus dining, Barboza sees the 75th anniversary as both a tribute and a promise.

"My hope is that the menus and service provided to students 75 years from now are reflected in the contemporary of that time," he said. "But more than that, I hope that the Ratty continues to evoke warmth, comfort and community. That's what makes the Ratty 'the Ratty,' as we hear from generation after generation after generation of alums."

Shared tables, shared memories

When it opened in 1951, Sharpe Refectory was built to accommodate more than 1,600 students and quickly became an enduring centerpiece of campus. It's often the first spot where new students - and prospective students, family members and other visitors - get to eat, said Assistant Director of Culinary Operations Sarah Bleich.

"It's their introduction to dining at Brown," Bleich said. "It becomes a core memory."

For Xu and others, the Ratty has served as the setting to both everyday routines and special occasions.

"My roommate and I have a running joke about that table right in front, that it's our table" she said, pointing across the room. "We're genuinely always there. We'll have family dinners with our entire friend group, and it just feels like the Ratty is inextricable from our sophomore year."

That sense of belonging is something students often discover organically, especially during busy periods when the only free seat might be at a stranger's table. And one meal can be enough to turn that stranger into a friend.