When Yenching shut down, we shed a couple of tears. When Panera closed suddenly, it felt like we lost a very close friend. But now that Au Bon Pain is closing down, I think we have gone numb.

Yes, Au Bon Pain is leaving the Square like many of our other beloved restaurants and establishments. It was to be expected due to the renovation of the Smith Campus Center, but it just happened so fast. It was just yesterday (not actually) that they were giving away free coffee, which is great when you tire of the standard dining hall fare.

It is even weirder when you realize that it has been in the Square for 32 years. You know how old 32 years is? This is before Radcliffe College fully integrated with Harvard University. The Olympics were held in Los Angeles and Ronald Reagan was president. And now, it will be gone.

If one really can't live with it, technically there is one located near Zinneken’s and another near the Charles. But neither are as easily accessible as the Harvard Square one and they close earlier than the 1 am time for which the Square establishment is known. It seems like all the national fast food cafés are disappearing. All of them.

You still have time to say your final farewell. The last day you can get a sandwich there is on March 31st. That might give you enough time to prepare to have Starbucks as our coffee/cafe overlords.



