Einstein’s to Reopen Tuesday Afternoon

Oct. 12, 2020

Dear University community members, 

As you may know, Einstein’s Bagels in Pius Library is currently closed. We expect Einstein’s to re-open Tuesday afternoon with reduced hours of operation. In order to reassure our campus and provide transparency, we are writing to provide some context for this closure. 

Management at Sodexo, SLU’s food service provider, learned Monday morning that an Einstein’s associate has tested positive for COVID-19. This individual last worked on site Monday morning, and was experiencing no symptoms for COVID-19. They will isolate for at least 10 days. Other Einstein’s associates who worked alongside this team member will quarantine for at least 14 days. 

We are sorry for the worry and disruption this has caused our Einstein’s food service workers. 

Out of an abundance of caution, the Einstein’s Bagels café has been closed for deep cleaning. Food that was on site has been discarded. No SLU students were working at Einstein’s with the associate today. 

Sodexo and the University both require all associates to wear face masks in all food service areas across our campus, including kitchens and customer areas. In addition, food service workers are completing daily health screenings and temperature checks. More information about Sodexo's COVID-19 safety procedures may be found here.  

Given all of the precautions taken, the potential COVID-19 infection risk to students, staff and faculty who were served food or beverages in the days prior to the cafe’s closing is very low. According to peer-reviewed research, food has not been identified as a means for the virus to spread from an infected person to others. 

We apologize for the inconvenience this causes to our University community members who count on food offerings from Einstein’s. Other restaurants on the north campus that accept Billiken Bucks include Panera, Starbucks and the Billiken Grill. 

Please send any questions you have to pandemic@slu.edu.