Brennan’s vacancy becomes home to local restaurants

Brennan’s Pub & Bistro is hosting Burlington’s local restaurants for a taste of food fresh on campus this semester.

UVM Dining expanded retail options by introducing local restaurant pop-ups in Brennan’s on Tuesdays and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. said Melissa Zelazny, UVM Dining resident district manager.

Students can purchase the food using retail points, cash or credit cards, Zelazny said.

UVM welcomed Café Saint Paul Feb. 8-9 and Church Street Cheesesteaks Feb. 15-16. Taco Truck All-Stars is on the schedule for Feb. 22-23 and Farmers and Foragers on March 2-3.

Brennan’s did not open last semester due to staffing shortages, Zelanzy said.

These pop-ups optimize space, especially because of slow winter business for local restaurants, Zelazny said.

The pop-ups also add more dining options on campus, Zelazny said.

Last semester UVM hosted food trucks near Northside Dining on Trinity campus, but with colder weather it made sense to transition indoors while still giving more retail options, Zelazny said.

“The restaurants offer a minimum of three menu items with at least one vegan vegetarian option,”  Zelazny said.

The restaurants get a guarantee of sale volumes when coming to campus along with free publicity and advertising, Zelazny said.

“It seems like a pretty good win-win,” she said.

After receiving positive feedback from students, UVM Dining is even considering expanding the restaurant’s hours in Brennan’s, Zelazny said.

Last week’s pop-up, Church Street Cheesesteaks, serves high-quality cheesesteaks with a portobello mushroom steak option for vegans and vegetarians.

The restaurant is located on Church Street right outside local bar Red Square in the summertime and at Stowe Resort in the winter.

Owner Sandi Pasagic, said they are excited to be back serving students again.

“It’s cool to just be back with the younger crowd, the people who go out at night,”  Pasagic said.

Café Saint Paul participated in the pop-up event two weeks ago as the first restaurant, known for its fresh, locally-sourced sandwiches.

Due to its popularity two weeks ago, Café Saint Paul plans on returning to Brennan’s in the next month, Chef James Bouffard said.

“The event was extremely beneficial in promoting the restaurant, there’s more clientele and good marketing,” Bouffard said. “My staff and I were very happy to be there.”

The steady flow of hungry students filtering in and out of the Davis Center provides restaurants with excellent marketing and a crowd that will likely return for more.

The pop-ups will continue for the remainder of the semester and the schedule of restaurants can be found on the UVM Bored website.