Right now, most college students feel as though “normal activities” on- and off-campus are limited. While restrictions are everywhere, a major aspect of student life that has been affected is off-campus dining, with students no longer allowed to venture out to New Hartford or Syracuse to access the greater variety of restaurants, meaning a trip to Chipotle is out of the cards. 

Enter SONO at The Edge Cafe, a Tex-Mex grab and go pop-up run by Chartwells that has taken over the previously unused space. The expansion of dining options on campus has included efforts by Chartwells to diversify options for students on the meal plan. Sushi with Gusto is now available at Donovan’s, and the Grab Goodness line of products has become a staple of Frank, offering students the ability to take food out from the main dining hall which was not previously allowed. SONO fits into a similar mold, giving students the option to either use a meal swipe or pay $9.95 in Flex Dollars or ‘Gate Cash (credit cards and cash are not accepted). 

A meal swipe at SONO will get you an entree, chips and a drink. For the entree, students have the option of a burrito, a burrito bowl or tacos, and are given a variety of topping options to choose from including choice of protein, rice, beans, lettuce, guacamole and sour cream. SONO offers ground beef and grilled chicken, and non-meat eaters even have the choice to opt for garlic and lime-seasoned mushrooms. As far as drink options go, students can choose between a small variety of soft drinks from a set of coolers behind the food display. 

For the most part, SONO offers little more than the Coop’s Thursday Tex-Mex lunch transported across campus and available the entire week, which isn’t entirely a bad thing. Considering the usual hot offerings that one would expect from this side of the campus (Frank), SONO is a welcome alternative. Service is quick and there aren’t any of the weird surprise snags that seem to pop up when ordering food in these pandemic-y times. 

For students who live up the hill, it makes sense to incorporate SONO into a weekly eating regimen. For one meal swipe, the meal is a large portion and spices up an otherwise-repetitive set of dining options. For students who live down the hill or in-town, this may not be worth the trek, especially due to the fact that personal vehicles are no longer allowed up the hill. But, the addition of the restaurant is an overall net positive for the campus dining scene.