Hillside Cafe—a popular destination to grab a bite, work on homework, or people-watch—certainly doesn’t run itself. One of the men behind the beloved omelet, burger, and latte destination is the assistant manager, Mark Judd.
Born in Waltham, Mass., Judd has lived in the area his entire life and started working at BC 15 years ago. His wife and father-in-law are BC alumni, which is why Judd became interested in working at the University all those years ago. Like his family, Judd has grown to love the spirited atmosphere and dedicated students, faculty, and staff at BC. While he’s also worked in Corcoran Commons, Stuart, and Cafe 129 on Brighton Campus, he says Hillside is his favorite.
“I like the atmosphere, schedule, and dealing with all the students,” Judd said. “Unlike a lot of the other dining locations on campus, Hillside is mostly student-run. There are about 90 student-workers and only six employees. It gets hectic, but everyone cares about their position, so that makes supervising easy and fun.”
Judd does all the hiring and scheduling at Hillside, and helps out in the back office. When asked about a typical day at work, Judd explained, “I come in at 11:30 a.m. There’s one manager who opens in the morning–there’s actually only two of us at Hillside, Troy Saunders and myself. I usually have to jump on the register for a couple of hours, which isn’t a bad thing because I get to talk to the employees and customers and watch the hustle and bustle from checkout. The other manager usually goes in the back and takes care of ordering, then I’ll head to the office after closing to take care of the cash and record keeping. It’s pretty much the same every day.”
While Judd’s daily routine doesn’t vary much, he said the job is more than interesting. The friendly colleagues and hardworking staff are part of the reason why Judd likes working at BC.
“You know how they say ‘Surround yourself with good people?’ That’s Hillside in a nutshell,” he said.
When Judd isn’t supervising the 90-plus staff at Hillside, you can find him and his wife walking the streets of Boston.
“I like that the city of Boston is small enough that you can walk everywhere,” he said. “My wife and I will park our car by BU and just walk—walk along the waterfront and down to the North End. There are so many good spots for lunch and dinner and good conversation.”
Judd and his family live in Holliston, Mass., just one town over from where the Boston Marathon begins. And the affinity for BC doesn’t stop at his wife and father-in-law—both of his children also attended the University. His daughter graduated from the Carroll School of Management and his son from the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences. Both have moved on to hold successful positions, with the former at Staples headquarters and the latter at MBA.com. Judd’s son Mike is actually BC’s famous “Yellow Man,” who wore an iconic yellow spandex suit to sporting events during his time as a student.
And, if you’re still not convinced of the Judd family’s love for BC, their house is decorated with maroon carpeting and gold-ish paint.
Featured Image by Emily Sadeghian / Heights Senior Staff
