As the school year begins, many students decide being trying the off-campus restaurants that Kalamazoo has to offer.

            Senior Caroline Michniak has worked at Crow’s Nest for seven months and loves the familiarity that the restaurant offers.

            “I know over half the clientele on any given Saturday,” Michniak said. “It is nice that I can recognize the regulars and see the K and Western kids who come in here.”

            For breakfast, Crow’s Nest offers the staple items such as biscuits and gravy, omelets, and French toast with a twist. With all their bread baked downstairs and locally raised pork, this restaurant strives for quality food. And according to Michniak, their food is what keeps people coming back.

            “The crowd is so diverse,” Michniak said. “We have moms, hung over college kids, rich people, poor people, hipsters, hippies; just all kinds of people in this one neighborhood who come for the food. I love that people will wait for an hour an a half on our rickety stairs just to eat.”

            Another local favorite is Food Dance. This eatery creates dishes that are not only good for its customers, in both health and taste, but also wants to use food that is from the area and in season. Food Dance is the most expensive of the three, but offers alternative food options. Sophomore Alissa Neff, a vegetarian, has found that she is never without options.

            “It can be difficult to find vegetarian food at a lot of places,” Neff said. “They have a lot of options for me, but also their dishes are really unique and the menu seems to change pretty frequently.”

            According to sophomore Russell Trenary, the farmer’s market is another place to find food near campus. Trenary worked with Fair Food Matters at the Douglass Farmers Market this summer. Trenary helped to set up vendors, but also worked at the Fair Food Matters garden and sold the produce.

“People don’t realize what scale [agriculture] has to happen on in order for food to be grown,” Trenary said. “I want to be involved in how to change it instead of relying on small scale farming.”

            Food Dance, Crow’s Nest, and the Farmer’s Market are within walk-able or bike-able distance of the college.