Between classes, job shifts and organization meetings, Wellesley students will often stop by El Table or Café Hoop for a brief moment of respite. Whether choosing to enjoy a cheesy Green Monstah “for here”, or to take a long-anticipated Nutella Croissant “to go” before a night of studying, these student-run spaces provide much beyond food. For many, the student cooperatives (co-ops) offer a sense of community and belonging.

There are currently four student co-ops on campus: El Table, Café Hoop, Instead and SCoop. While Instead and SCoop are intentional, small residential communities centering around feminism and environmental awareness, respectively, El Table and Café Hoop serve as student-run cafés open for the whole Wellesley community to enjoy. The Wellesley News interviewed members of both El Table and Café Hoop to gain a better understanding of the student co-op experience.

El Table, short for “Elevator Table,” was established over 120 years ago in 1904, and was initially a single table near an elevator in College Hall. The students at “El,” as it’s lovingly called, typically sold tickets and Legenda subscriptions. After College Hall was destroyed in the 1914 fire, the co-op experienced short periods as a lemonade stand and convenience store, until it found its current home in Founders’ ground level, where it became a café. Students sold everything, from candy and cigarettes to “‘famous’ brownies, ice cream, glass bottles of coke and camera film,” as Cindy Li ’28, El Table’s Co-Financial Manager, explained.

“El has always been a center for campus community. Aside from spam for org events, our spam boards used to host a section for finding rides to other colleges and cities, buy and sell notes, and lost-and-found ads. During the Vietnam protests of the ’60s, students gathered in El when they weren’t allowed to be outside,” Li said. “In more recent history, El used to run a catering business pre-Covid, and was also a part of Madeleine Albright’s visit to the College for the 2012 Albright Institute, where she signed the wall (as is tradition for El Tablers).”

Café Hoop, which was formerly located in the basement of Billings, has established its own strong identity over the years. Despite being newer than El Table, it has become known for its late-night energy as well as its celebration of queer BIPOC voices and experiences.

Both El Tablers and Hoopies agree that co-ops are defined by a student-run structure. Li described it as running a business “purely for the sake of serving the Wellesley community and without the direction of typical hierarchical structures,” as students manage responsibilities usually handled by professional management, including recruitment, training, purchasing, pricing and inspections.

“To me, being a part of a co-op means intentionally creating safe spaces that emphasize shared responsibility and community care,” shared Valentina Marinucci ’28, Café Hoop’s External Food Manager. “Because we are completely student-run and a small business, we definitely have to trust in and rely on each other. Essentially, the core principle of a co-op is collaboration.”

With past experiences working in food service, Naomi Wang ’26, a General Member of El Table, emphasized the co-ops being more than just cafés, as they are spaces purposely maintained by QTBIPOC students. 

“It was clear just how much the upperclassmen really cared about preserving this space and how much love was poured into the co-ops,” Wang said. “It is because of these memories that I feel a deep sense of respect and responsibility to do my part and further the sustainability of El and the co-ops for the future.”

Newer members of the co-ops relayed similar sentiments, sharing how much the space and community means to them. Zoey Larson ’28, a newer El Tabler, described how the co-op has brought them comfort, as it reminds them of a café back home in Florida, “especially [in] the way they both decorate the tables with different collages and things, so it felt like I could hold on to that piece of home here.”

“I’m happy to be able to contribute toward a space like this, especially with everything that is going on in each individual person’s life,” expressed Riley Zhang ’28, another newer El Tabler.

Other El Tablers and Hoopies highlighted how their work feels less like a job and more like spending time with friends. El Table Food Manager Stephanie Barcenas ’27 described her shifts as “hanging out with fun, witty, like-minded sibs who are passionate about running this business as a community-oriented and safe space for students to seek refuge in.”

The News also asked El Tablers and Hoopies about their thoughts on Saxbys experiential learning café scheduled to open on April 8 in Clapp Library, and they had mixed feelings. Marinucci voiced some concerns, highlighting the misconception that Saxbys is going to be a new co-op.

“To me, co-ops are fundamentally anti-corporation. Because the new cafe is backed by a larger company, it will have different resources, values and administrative scaffolding than the current Wellesley co-ops. At Cafe Hoop, Hoopies learn similar management skills, but from older members and their own trial-and-error. Again, the emphasis is more on collaboration and learning from peers,” she said.

Barcenas pointed out how the student workers at Saxbys will not only be gaining skills and earning money, but also the ability to fulfill the experiential learning requirement needed to graduate from the College.

“I think it’s great that the college is creating more job opportunities for students and giving experiential learning credit through it as well,” she said. “El Table is also a student-run business, so I would like it if we were given the same opportunity as well.”

Though we are in uncertain and unprecedented times, when students are feeling pulled in all directions, the co-ops are centers of connection where students continue to show up for one another.