Saxbys, we owe you an apology.

When we left for summer vacation back in May, we didn’t know it would be the last time we would ever see you. After more than seven years of serving the Penn State community, Saxbys has officially closed its doors in the business building. Soon, Dunkin’ and Jimmy John’s will take over the space you once called home.

Don’t get me wrong. I will almost certainly spend an irresponsible amount of money at Dunkin’ and Jimmy John’s. But they aren’t you.

For years, you stood faithfully in the middle of the Business Building, watching thousands of Smeal students walk through those doors every day. Some were headed to class. Some were leaving class. Some pretended to head to class before deciding that sitting in the atrium for another 45 minutes was the better option.

And through it all, you were there.

You were there for the 8 a.m. classes when nobody wanted to speak to anyone. For the awkward gaps between classes that weren’t quite long enough to go home but were somehow long enough to spend $15 on breakfast.

You were there for the group projects, the exams, the interviews, the presentations, and the days when opening a laptop and staring at the same PowerPoint slide for two hours technically counted as studying.

Saxbys, we will mourn those bacon-grilled cheeses forever. Thank you for a fun and relaxing space for generations of Smeal students. And thank you to the Smeal students who ran it for so long.

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