Dear The Watch Magazine, 

It’s been a while since we last spoke. If I recall correctly, the last time I heard from you, the vibes were pretty tense. I think we have some making up to do. In The Watch’s “A love letter to the Galley,” published in September, 2024, you brought up some things you were unhappy with. And some of them were fair. So, Watch, I apologize. In the words of Logan Paul, I made a severe and continuous lapse in my judgement, etc., etc., blah blah blah. JK, this isn’t that kind of apology. I actually want to address your concerns. So let’s start from the beginning. 

You have some qualms with our drip coffee, specifically about finding grinds in your cup. Watch, I’m truly sorry about this. There’s nothing worse than a crunchy coffee. I think you’ll be happy to know that since September, we’ve refined our drip coffee process and haven’t had any major grind issues since. We’ve also changed our coffee beans, and they’re pretty tasty if we do say so ourselves — much better than your previous claim of “mediocre at best.” Here at The Galley, we know we can do so much better than mediocre, and we aspire to keep improving. 

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about grilled cheese. Last year, you asked us why it takes so long to get your sandwich after you order. Because, dear Watch, it is made with love. That’s something you’d never get from the Tim’s in the Dal Student Union Building, where you’d be waiting even longer for a sub-par, flimsy sandwich. But in all honesty, we know in the past our timing has left a lot to be desired. That’s why — you heard it here first — we’re debuting our brand new grill! Our old grill was a lot of things, but fast was not one of them. From now on, our new grill should be able to make you a grilled cheese within the duration of a FYP break. 

The last thing I want to address is that you say we’re open before you get out of bed, and closed before you get out of class. If we didn’t open at 9 a.m., who would provide the tired FYPers with coffee before their Descartes lecture? Upper year students, we love you. We know it can be hard to make the journey to King’s from your South End apartment. But this relationship goes both ways. We’re here for you — but only if you wake up for us. Frankly, we think you might need some practice getting up in the morning. I don’t know about you, but we plan on being employed after graduation. Any job you might apply for in the future will make you wake up for nine at the earliest. So consider us training for the real world. 

Honestly, it would be great to be open later than 2 p.m. We’d love to spend more time with you. But we’re a small team with limited resources and we can only do so much. Maybe someday we’ll be open later so you can eat grilled cheese for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But for now, we’re going to continue refining and improving as much as we can, with the time that we have. 

Overall, we really appreciate your feedback. We know, like you do, that the Galley is a crucial space for community, food, and of course, caffeine. We plan on continuing to improve. Since last September, we’ve introduced new muffins and treats from local suppliers, changed our coffee beans and process, and have started offering chai lattes and pesto grilled cheeses. We have more exciting things in the works this year, so stay tuned. We desperately crave your approval, Watch. (We know you’ll never give it to us, because you’re very toxic, but we’ll keep trying.) 

Xoxo, 

The Galley

P.S., Your Editor-in-Chief spends more money in the Galley than anyone else, so we must be doing something right …