UVM’s newest campus celebrities are all over most students’ Instagram explore pages, and — if you’re lucky — can even be seen in the flesh. Anyone who is anyone has at least heard of them. That’s right, folks, it’s the Grundlemunchers.
At the start of the fall semester, first-year students Owen Erelli and Owen Mistretta, dubbed “the Owens,” had the idea to create an Instagram account dedicated entirely to Harris Millis Dining Hall, or as most students know it, the Grundle.
Although their videos have been discussed around campus, the account has no agenda or specific purpose; it is purely for fun, the Owens said.
“The entire account is satire,” Erelli said.
The Grundlemunchers came up with the idea for this platform on a whim. After seeing a similar video on Instagram, they decided to record in their dorm and see how it would do on Instagram reels.
The debut video, which pokes fun at Erelli and Mistretta’s frequent visits to the dining hall, quickly found success.
“It’s like watching the Mona Lisa get painted,” stated Instagram user @danmurpmedia in the comment section of an Aug. 31 Grundlemunchers post.
Other users seemed to want to participate in the Grundle fun.
“When’s the grunction?” stated Instagram user @jackhempel in the same post.
The comedic, short-format videos have found their niche on the Instagram explore page of thousands of UVM students and beyond. In one post, even the Grundlemunchers’ parents participated in the video.
The Grundlemunchers videos have gathered an increasingly large number of viewers, with their most popular video thus far obtaining over 100k views.
When asked about their motivation for creating the account, the Owens said they wanted to bring a new perspective to the dining halls. Considering the frequent resentment for dining hall food, the Owens are here to change the narrative.
“A lot of people hate on the Grundle and say it’s bad,” Mistretta said. “We want to continue to spread positivity on UVM Dining.”
Despite the growing platform, the Grundlemunchers have not faced much criticism. When asked about the feedback they have received, the Owens revealed that despite not receiving much hate, some users will question the creators’ sexuality in the comment section.
“Bro, when are you guys going to make out?” stated Instagram user @artoftheancients_ in the comment section of a Sept. 6 Grundlemunchers post.
Both find that when dealing with criticism, it pays to just laugh it off. Although they do have a fan base that will fight for their content in comments, according to Mistretta.
“I have a lot of friends who, if someone leaves a hate comment, they’ll start attacking them with a bunch of replies,” he said, later ensuring it is all in good fun.
Erelli said that he has no real template he uses to construct the videos. Instead, he uses the same audio and visual effects to create the final result.
Both Erelli and Mistretta agree that even though the formatting is repetitive, it’s unimportant. However, they do have goals and ideas for expanding their platform in the future, some of which they are already working on.
While their inspiration mainly comes from everyday events, the Grundlemunchers are looking to collaborate with other UVM organizations and events. In an Oct. 9 video, the pair worked with the UVM EcoReps to promote using EcoWare in the Grundle and elsewhere.
To conclude the interview, the Owens reflected on the most slept-on thing about Grundle. Erelli, with enthusiastic head nods from Mistretta, articulated the selling point.
“The layout is fantastic, you have all the food options on one side of the dining hall, and seating on the other,” he said. “It just works here, and it works great. It fosters a homey environment.”
