The Sagamore Restaurant: Celebrating 90 Years of Tradition

The Sagamore Restaurant, located in the cornerstone of campus on the second floor of Purdue Memorial Union, has long been a hub of campus activity.

The restaurant is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year. Originally known as the Chestnut Room, the restaurant opened in 1929 on the main floor of the Purdue Memorial Union before moving upstairs to its current location on the second floor in 1939 after a building expansion. The name change came with a major renovation in 1965. Set apart by its history and second-floor location, the Sagamore has long played host to visiting dignitaries, university luminaries, faculty, staff, students, campus visitors and special events.

In celebration of its 90th anniversary, the Sagamore will host a special celebration the week of March 25-29. The restaurant will serve a special three-course menu, based on a Chestnut Room menu from 1962.

Through the years, one of the constants of the Sagamore experience has been a wait staff composed of students. The Sagamore has served as a living, learning laboratory where students have gained hands-on hospitality experience and developed skills and relationships that proved valuable later in life.

In some cases, lessons learned became directly applicable to a future career. That was the case for Adelle Samaha, a 2014 graduate who now works in restaurant management.

“The most important thing I think I gleaned from my time at the Sagamore was how to be a good representative of an organization or brand,” says Samaha. “That has really stuck with me. While I was serving at the Sagamore, I was taught to be an ambassador of the University. I wanted to represent Purdue with the dignity and honor it was due. Now at my current job, I haven’t lost that sense of representing a brand well.”

Students and chefs alike bring different skills to the table to help make Sagamore successful. For Benjamin Wiles, a 2006 graduate, a willingness to try new things opened up doors during his time at the restaurant. Wiles started as a waiter, was later promoted to head waiter and even spent time in the kitchen as a cook. A math teacher by trade, Wiles says the knowledge of different systems has proved beneficial.

“There’s a lot of constituents at a University,” says Wiles, now Chief Data Officer at Clemson University. “It’s extremely helpful to see the University through that lens. You see all of these parts and begin to understand what it takes to make things go.”

Aaron Davis’ pursuit of a job at the Sagamore led him to a Purdue career that is now in its 18th year. Prior to his first interview, Davis was jokingly asked to bring fried chicken by a member of the hiring committee. So he did.

“I thought well, why not?” says Davis, now executive sous chef for Catering & Events. “I brought fried chicken to my interview. They asked what I would bring next time and they called me back, so I actually brought caramel apple pie. I showed up to both interviews, food in hand, and was offered the job the second time in.”

The Sagamore fills an important role for the University in being able to cater for large-scale events. The restaurant has been a part of Purdue Musical Organizations’ annual Christmas show, hosting a special dinner and busloads of visitors through the years. The restaurant has even hosted the Boilermaker football team during fall camp, serving more than 100 student-athletes, coaches, trainers and staff buffet-style.

An annual Beaujolais wine dinner was one of the popular events that brought visitors to the restaurant. Davis recalls bringing in a cask of the wine one year and actually driving the spout into it on-site. The restaurant has even provided service off-site, including dinners at Westwood for University presidents and their guests.

Wiles recalls serving at Westwood for Steven Beering, Purdue’s ninth president, and the Faculty Senate. One day, Wiles would return to Westwood as a guest when he was assistant head of the math department. His connections with chefs such as Bruce Haumesser, current director of culinary operations and executive chef, helped Wiles appreciate the moment even more.

“Seven years prior to that, I was serving drinks there and seven years later I’m eating this ridiculously fancy meal with the president in the same place,” says Wiles. “Knowing that people like Bruce were there making those things happen was cool.”

Serving visiting dignitaries as well as those from the University has always been an important aspect of the Sagamore. Past employees of the restaurant fondly recall a visit by alum and former astronaut Neil Armstrong, as well as regular patronage by former Purdue presidents Beering, France A. Cordova and Martin Jischke.

One of the regular visitors many Sagamore employees recall fondly is Mary Louise Foster, who joined the Purdue faculty in 1955 and served the University for more than 50 years. Former students and chefs alike all remember Foster as a friendly part of their daily experience.

“The kids just loved to sit and talk to her,” says Davis. “As the kids were cleaning up, she’d sit and each lunch students would sit and talk to her. She was wonderful.”

One of those students was Christopher Barder, who worked at the Sagamore as a student for two years.

“I have a particular memory with Mary where we would sit and talk,” says Barder, a 2006 graduate. “She knew I liked cheesy, campy jokes and she would save this little newspaper column of really bad jokes. She would cut them out and save them to me.”

Barder is also quick to mention connections with other Purdue staff that helped mentor him made through the restaurant. Conversations with deans and professors often led to opportunities for mentorship and continue to do so for current Sagamore employees.

Among the most valuable connections for student and professional staff alike have been through their work with each other. Waking up early to prepare the open the restaurant at 6 a.m., working long hours and the nature of the work help catalyze the relationships built among staff. For Samaha, these connections were among her most treasured from working at the Sagamore.

“My favorite memory for the Sagamore is having family lunch together,” says Samaha. “Once we were closed and all the guests were gone, we’d clean up and sit together as a family to eat together. Everyone who worked there was so close. You really got to know people. We were more than just acquaintances.”

Davis, who began as chef manager in 2002, agrees and says working with students has been among the most rewarding aspects of his work.

“At the end of the shift, everybody would sit down and eat and you’d just shoot the breeze with everybody,” says Davis. “I invited some of the staff to my house a couple times, like for a Christmas get-together, so I had a good relationship with those students. My wife still refers to some of those students as our kids.”

As a student, Wiles says being able to have that kind of friendship with Davis is something he treasures looking back.

“He’s still one of the best bosses I’ve worked for and a friend,” says Wiles. “Every time I come back to Purdue, I always try to see him.”

Working at the Sagamore has continued to provide application for former students in their careers. For Barder, now ordained as Father Luke Barder and working with the Dominican Institute of Oriental Studies (IDEO) in Cairo, Egypt, the idea of service is a base he draws on every day.

“Service is a particular kind of work,” says Barder. “I’m in a very service-oriented job as a priest. Working at the Sag really taught me how to meet people where they’re at. Every table is a new table. I could treat my new table as just a name or a number, or I could take the opportunity to really see what they are somebody I can have a conversation with. It taught me very much how to anticipate people’s needs.”

“Working at a restaurant like the Sagamore and particularly with people of status, where you have presidents or deans, you have to learn to meet them,” continues Barder. “Anticipate their needs, get to know them, figure out ways of talking with them, cheering them, knowing when not to talk or when to step back, when to offer privacy and what boundaries are.”

Samaha adds, “It was my first serving job and it made me love the restaurant industry. It has shaped who I am today and changed the course of my career goals. I am forever grateful for my time there and all the people were a part of that journey.”

The Sagamore continues to serve a unique niche on campus with its upscale menu. The restaurant offers table service as well as a daily luncheon buffet and hot action station, where chefs prepare meals in front of guests.

Special events continue to be one of the Sagamore’s calling cards, including special dinners and menus in conjunction with holidays, graduation, Purdue Musical Organizations shows and Convocations events. The Sagamore also plays host to large groups, with four private rooms available.

Whether it’s a casual breakfast or the celebration of a special occasion, the Sagamore has been a Purdue tradition for 90 years.

“It is a Purdue tradition and I remember I wanted to work that,” says Barder. “it’s part of Purdue culture. I can look at that experience and say I was really a Boilermaker. I worked at the Sag. I’m really proud of that.”

We invite you to be a part of the Sagamore tradition. The restaurant is open seven days a week. Visit this page for more information.