In college, they say you'll constantly be learning and discovering new things about yourself and the world around you. Before this year, I got my food from the Benson Food Court or the Pit and went on my merry way. Unbeknownst to me, there was a whole world of chicken tenders, two dollar mimosas, and friends just waiting for me at Shorty's. I'm here to tell you why Shorty's is the absolute best place on campus.
1. You can pay with your meal plan
I don't know about you, but there's definitely a difference between paying for things with my meal plan and paying for things with "real money". At Shorty's, you get to pay for everything, except alcohol (boo), with your food dollars and Old Golds. In addition, the Old Golds aren't "one tall plain black coffee" like at Starbucks; the Old Golds are things you actually order. Everyday, chicken tenders are an Old Gold, which is LIT, and other days they're even better: BLT + Guac sandwich, grilled cheese and tomato soup, and any salad you want.
2. The waitstaff is bae
Shorty's has a reputation for being really slow and having not the best service. However, if you go when I do around 2 pm, the service is great! I'm such great friends with all of them, because most of them are young and really cool. If you become a regular like me, they might even let you follow them on snapchat....
P.S. The reason they take so long sometimes is that frat boiz swarm the patio when the sun is out and chug pitchers of Coors like it's water, which it basically is, but they demand a lot of attention.
3. They have something new everyday
I already mentioned the different Old Gold's everyday, but they also have great deals and fun things happening everyday. On Tuesday, they have two dollar mimosas (suck it Silo) and half off appetizers, and the appetizers are definitely big enough for a meal! On Thursdays, they have 50 cent wings. On Tuesdays, they also have trivia at 6:30 pm. Other nights, they have open mic night. Also sometimes they'll just have random events, like five cent hot dogs, because that was the OG price of hot dogs when Shorty's first opened in 1916, or eight dollar steak night just because. I'm just saying, Shorty's does the same cool stuff as other restaurants that we love so much, but you can pay for it with your meal plan and you can walk there.
4. It's really nice to have real food that you don't grab in a bag and eat in a dorm room.
The Wake Forest bubble and the parking #struggle on this campus can make going to real, sit-down restaurants really difficult. Shorty's is one of the only places on campus where you can sit down and have a nice meal that didn't just come off an assembly line. You get to take your time and just eat, and the food is pretty great!
I'm officially the most regular regular at Shorty's, and honestly it was one of the best decisions I have made since coming to Wake Forest. I've made a lot of new friends, eaten a lot of great food, and stopped missing the comforts of home so much. You can catch me there on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2 pm, and other assorted times throughout the week. Come hang out! You won't regret it.