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Submit your comments and Doodle stories Would you like bacon on that? It was tradition for members of the men's swimming team to hit the Doodle after Saturday morning practices. One Saturday, a group of us were eating at the counter when our teammate, Ted Stedem '95, ordered a fried donut and requested: "Can I get extra butter on that?" Now, if you're familiar with the fried donut (a glazed donut, cut in half, slathered in butter and then cooked on the grill), then you can appreciate the audacity of this request. A moment of silence ensued, as no one on either side of the counter had ever heard those words uttered at the Yankee Doodle. Of course, we were 20 years old and swimming four hours a day, so "extra butter" was not an issue. Still, if you could have seen the look on the face of the cook and waitress, it was priceless. The Doodle will be missed.
Dona Nobis Doodle When our daughter first came to the Yale campus, she wanted to visit just two places: The Beinecke Library (to see the Gutenberg Bible) and The Yankee Doodle . . . not necessarily in that order. Now, four years (and many hamburgers) later, here's hoping she can one day return to Yale as an alumna to visit The Yankee Doodle . . . along with that other place.
Burgers and Bart I'm very sorry to hear that my favorite dining establishment has closed. It started the year after we graduated and I was introduced to it when I first became involved with AYA in the '80s and it has been a regular stop for us ever since when we've been in New Haven. It was fun to know we ate at the same place Bart did though we never were there at the same time.
A Nonprofit Doodle? Here's a question: How much money would it take to purchase the Yankee Doodle's business, keep paying the rent, and keep the place open? Could it be re-opened as an alumni-supported nonprofit with profits benefitting, say, New Haven food banks? I'd certainly write a check to support such an effort.
"Quiet and Refuge" "The Doodle" was as much a part of the Yale experience as almost any other aspect of life at Yale for so many of us. Anyone who ever pulled an all-nighter, cramming for an exam, or in my case after doing an all night show on WYBC-FM, looked to The Doodle not only for a quick and tasty breakfast, but as a simple place of quiet and refuge. And at other points in the day, who could resist those thin but juicy burger patties, topped with onion bits on buns smothered in butter. But The Doodle wasn't just about the food. It was about the tradition, the atmosphere, and its uniqueness on the Yale campus. Places like The Doodle don't exist any more because of the Starbucks, McDonald's, and Subways of the world. Too bad, because the big-chain franchises are in it for the money. The Beckwith family, The Doodle's owners, were always in it for us Yalies. There is hope on the horizon, though. Some alumni have begun a fund-drive to support the Beckwith family if they choose to keep the restaurant open. And Yale Properties apparently is making an offer to have The Doodle relocate to one of their spaces on York or Elm Street, hopefully at a rental rate that is fair and reasonable. We'll see. Long live The Doodle!!!
Don't Give Up There is something that can be done. There always is. When I think of how many wealthy alumni the Doodle means something to, that hoped it would be there for their children like I did, and the vast sums that are often donated to causes and institutions that already have so much, I have trouble imagining that people couldn't get behind making donations to get that space back for them, especially now that they know . . . At the very least, I will never ever go to Tyco again. With so many people that care so much for something so simple -- I'm not willing to give up hope yet.
Running a Tab When my mother and father came to New Haven to visit, they would do their rounds at the Doodle and the Davenport Dining Hall to check in with my family. Rick, Red, Darlene, Billy and Peg would let them know how I was doing, what was new in my world, if I was getting enough sleep -- you know, the basics. My personal favorite was bringing my doodle dandy and grilled donut back into the DPort dining hall in time for Billy's "Now its time to say good bye" nightly serenades, truly the best of both worlds. The Doodle opened up its arms to me the third day of freshman year, and I never paid cash for any food thereafter. Having a tab there might have upped my freshman 15 to a freshman 35, but I stick by my decisions and was too skinny at the start of university regardless. The bench at the Doodle was a scene straight out of Cheers, with Rick and Dar starting to cook my order before I had uttered a word or even taken my seat. Rick's son working the fountain drinks after Red passed away will always stand out in my memory, Yale students helping him with the homework he would have brought straight from the school bus. I am shocked that the University would let this happen. Economics has its harsh reality, but Yale had enough of a stake in its community to think outside the box and ensure this vestige of my father's Yale, my father's father's Yale, would continue to link generations of men and women gracing its now quieter and less tasty halls. I know that Rick felt the burden of his father's early passing, and perhaps there was less force than the public assumes at the root of the Doodle's closure, but I have to think University Properties and Tyco played their role. All I can hope is that Levin and the University recognize the loss our community feels and explore alternative on-campus locations, operational subsidies, or other such measures to keep this very essential aspect of the Yale experience alive for future generations of Eli's as well as us alumni who hold on to cherished memories perhaps longer and more dear than a cheeseburger is meant to be held. Double relish please, Rick, and don't break the yolk on that bacon egg and cheese.
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