Stanford Eating Clubs

The First One Hundred Years

The Stanford Eating Clubs have been a part of the Stanford tradition almost since the University's inception. Throughout their history, they have seen many changes in location, size and character, all the while remaining an integral part of the Stanford community. Although they were founded to provide a dining alternative for students, over the years the Eating Clubs developed into an organization of students looking for a sense of community without the enforced social or political agendas of other campus groups. This unique contribution to the student body is the reason the Eating Clubs have survived decades of change, and why they will undoubtedly continue to attract students in the coming century.

A concise history of the first fifty years of the Stanford Eating Clubs is found in the 1963 Stanford Eating Clubs rush manual:

The Stanford Eating Clubs began before the turn of the century, formed by congenial bands of like minded men who were unhappy with the food and service offered by the University-sponsored Stanford Inn. Even before the first Club was formed, some students were eating at the mess hall of "The Camp," a crude barrack community built on the site of the student union. It was here, in 1894, that the first Club — Brookfarm Eating Club — was founded. Brookfarm lasted only one year, but it was a beginning, and the "eating club" concept continued to grow. Other co-operative eating groups were formed at "The Camp" and in nearby Palo Alto and Mayfield (now the California Avenue area of Palo Alto). "The Camp" was closed in 1902, but it didn't dampen the Club spirit, and the leading students of those days continued to trek off campus three times a day for their meals. In 1907 several of the Clubs with houses in College Terrace — Snell, Welakahao, Marchmount, and Entre Nous — banded together to form the Terrace Club. With one exception, these Clubs all subsequently disbanded. Entre Nous, however, founded in 1901, became the first of the seven present Clubs. The name was changed to Los Arcos in 1922. In 1909 Breakers Club was organized in a small cottage on Stanford Avenue near its intersection with Escondido Road. Breakers remained there for one year before moving to the Frenchman's House, located on Escondido Road. El Campo and El Toro were also founded in these early years of the century. In the fall of 1912 the "Little Quad" was completed and Breakers, El Campo, and El Toro moved into this small U-shaped building next to Encina Hall near the present Club building.

In 1920 Encina Commons was opened, with separate dining rooms for the other Clubs. El Capitan and El Cuadro were organized in 1921 and together with Los Arcos (then still known as Entre Nous) moved to the Commons. El Tigre was organized in 1922, and shared a Commons room with El Capitan.

Until World War II there were three Clubs in the Little Quad and four in Encina Commons. After the War, veterans returned to find the "Little Quad" had been condemned and demolished. Encina Commons was too crowded with freshmen to provide individual dining rooms for each Club, so all seven Clubs were jammed into one large dining room.

Faced with conditions they considered intolerable, the Clubs began a concentrated effort to build their own facilities. A fund drive was launched, proved successful, and in 1951 the present Club building [shown here under construction] was dedicated on Big Game day.

From the new location, referred to as "The L" due to its shape, the Eating Clubs took on a new dimension, becoming an integral part of the life of adjacent Toyon Hall. Toyon's men were all 'Club members, and the social and intellectual life of the dorm was next door in the dining rooms and lounges of the 'Clubs. The Eating Clubs started many internal traditions, and some that were became enduring legacies for Stanford as a whole. For instance, it was an El Toro member (and ASSU president) who began the Axe tradition. The Eating Clubs by this point were seen as an alternative to the fraternity system. They were an all-male organization that explained their philosophy as follows:

Our uniqueness allows us to do our own thinking and planning. We have no one to imitate, no national affiliation to determine our traditions and policies. Our independence, even from University control, gives our members the chance they need and deserve to do with their talents as they wish. [From the Stanford Eating Clubs President's Report, 1974].

Since that time the clubs have emphasized the personal freedom and dignity of individual members while maintaining the organization to enjoy the advantages of group activity. Dwight Clark, the Dean of Freshmen Men summarized the atmosphere as such:

Eating Clubs offer a unique combination of group life and respect for individual freedom. Since Club activities are never compulsory, they must attract and hold on their own merits. Club meals and events are characterized by a spirit of lively and genuine camaraderie.

Over the years the degree of independence in each of the Clubs changed as they grew to rely on each other for financial and organizational support. A major change that was necessary to the 'Clubs survival was the consolidation and merging of the financial resources of all the Eating Clubs in 1966. The merge was necessary to finance expenses that all the 'Clubs shared in the common building, and to harness the resources of the larger organization to cover for losses in any one of the clubs. Club members accepted that fact that a certain amount of club autonomy would have to be given up in order to maintain the central governing body and functionality of the Clubs, believing that "the benefits given to the many students who have gained business experience outweighs the losses that a few individuals have incurred for the Clubs." The financial interdependence led to greater inter-relatedness among the Clubs, though the individuality of each club was maintained.

Coeducational housing started on a limited scale at Stanford in 1966. By that time Toyon Hall residents were affiliated only with the Eating Clubs; the University food service option was no longer open. With Toyon coed, the Clubs had to follow University policy of abandoning selective male rushing in all coed units. The last Eating Club to become completely coed was El Toro in 1971.

In the seventies the Eating Clubs ran into a rocky period. El Capitan folded after Winter quarter 1970 and El Campo followed that spring, due to low membership and management problems. Breakers closed for the 1970–71 year and reopened as a co-op, with the students responsible for all cooking duties. With five operational units, the Clubs again hit a sustainable level of membership. The 'Clubs were then able to expand their social agenda, offering major functions such as dances, volunteer projects, football game trips, and luaus. Each individual club also maintained its own social/programmatic agenda. Events ranged from visits to San Francisco for Chinese New Year, trips to see the San Francisco Symphony, theater outings, intramural sports, and even pumpkin carving parties.

After 1974 the Clubs rebounded with boosted membership and a new enthusiasm for the advantages they could offer. At this point the Eating Clubs were able to steadily add to their reserves. This accumulation of capital led to several proposals for a new building, the present one already in need of major plumbing, electrical, and general facilities repairs. In the mid-eighties, again the Clubs suffered from increased facilities costs and lower membership. These problems were exacerbated in 1990 when a large portion of the membership base was lost after approximately two-thirds of the Manzanita Trailers were torn down to make room for the new Manzanita Park development projects, Kimball, Lantana, and Castano. By 1992 the Eating Clubs were truly struggling for membership, enough so that the reserve funds were seriously depleted.

It was decided that El Tigre should close at that time. To ensure the solvency of the remaining clubs, a reorganization of the Eating Clubs was required. This process began with several building and safety improvements in the summer of 1992. Fall of 1992 began with a focus on greater food variety and quality and an enhanced social agenda. An important part of the reorganization involved the incorporation of "professional hashers". Because of heavier academic loads and low membership it had been increasingly difficult to get students to fill hashing positions throughout the late eighties. As a result, the Clubs opted to hire non-students (Breakers remained a co-op with students still assuming all duties). The plan worked well; an added bonus to the higher standards of cleanliness was that the professional hashers doubled as prep-cooks. Now that the cooks have a support staff, the average eating club member can expect to find a comprehensive salad bar, vegetarian alternatives, fresh baked goods, home-made soup, and desserts made from scratch at each meal. The improvements in combination with a strong membership drive have resulted in a current membership of 360 and financial statements that are consistently in the black.

As the Clubs grew more popular students began bringing guests to meals from all over campus. It became apparent that there was a demand for an eating club atmosphere that was open to the entire university community. In response, the Eating Clubs opened a cafe, The Terrace, in the vacant El Tigre kitchen. Serving sandwiches, frozen yogurt, and coffee, the Terrace became a gathering point for all members of the Stanford community: students, faculty, and staff. This year the Terrace is used as a snack/recreation zone for our full-board members. Although it is no longer open to the public, the Terrace still provides student jobs (supplanted in the other clubs by professional hashers) and more opportunities for management training. In fact, to date more student jobs have been created than were lost in the reorganization.

The Stanford Eating Clubs today provide an excellent training ground for student managers. Each Club now has two managers who collectively form a Board of Directors that in turn hire a General Manager, Financial Manager, and Social Manager. In addition, each club's managers organize individual club events. In this environment, managers learn aspects of the business ranging from inventory and food cost control to staff management and special events planning. These events included a quarterly special dinner in each club, including live entertainment and multiple courses as well as decorations that can transform a Club into an Italian bistro, a Viking den, or an Arabian Palanquin. The Eating Clubs have remained a focal gathering point for the residents of Toyon as well as for members from all over campus. There is a huge diversity in age, background, and area of study of club members. Members congregate at weekly study breaks, All-Club BBQs, outings to the beach or bowling, or large organized events such as formal dances, a ski trip, museum outings, and local cultural events. Although the 'Clubs have a strong and enthusiastic membership, their next challenge is to secure a new site where the educational, programmatic, and community atmosphere can continue. In the past few years the Eating Clubs have spent thousands of dollars to create a safe and well maintained environment for its members and staff, though the age of the building makes this task more and more difficult. A new building will be necessary for the Clubs continued contribution to the Stanford community. And that, friends, will help take us well into the next century….

Researched and written by Matt Pozos and Nick Peters, February 1995. Updated by Nick Peters, September 1995.

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