A Guide to Ordering at the Hop
The Hop’s grill line is always the longest when you’re the hungriest, but it’s clearly your best option at the “Courtyard Café,” so you know you’ll end up waiting. As you do, you’ll have plenty of time to wallow in your order indecision. It isn’t obvious what most of the menu items actually are, and it doesn’t help that you keep hearing everyone in front of you order mysterious items named after Marvel characters and singers. But don’t worry – I’m here to help you decode the secret Hop options so you can up your order-customization game. Life with DDS can get dull, but the Hop offers many options to mix it up.
Let’s start with one of my personal favorites, the “Hulk,” which is a classic post-workout (or in my case, post-dance rehearsal) choice that at least appears to be healthy. At its most basic level, it’s a wheat wrap filled with egg whites and cheese. I normally choose to add tomato, spinach or both in an attempt to add some veggies to my diet. To sound like a pro, ask for a “Red Hulk” if you want tomato, a “Green Hulk” for spinach and “Incredible (or Red and Green) Hulk” for both. The names for these always seem to change – during the holidays the “Red and Green Hulk” became the “Christmas Hulk” – but as spring term approaches the names have remained fairly traditional.
If you’re feeling really hungry and aren’t worried about heart attacks, there are some more ambitious items available. The “Bob Marley” is a Billy Bob (eggs, beef and cheese in a wrap) with hash browns. My guess is that the more creative Hop staff made the connection between hash (marijuana) and Bob Marley. You could also try the “Quadzilla” (as in “Godzilla”), a burger with four patties. As a warning, this one seems very difficult to eat and I have yet to see anyone actually order it.
As a side note, beware when ordering: what you get might be different depending on who is working the grill. One time I asked for egg whites with spinach and mushrooms, and instead of mushrooms, I got hash browns. So much for trying to be healthy. Naturally, I couldn’t resist delicious hash browns and proceeded to devour everything. I guess the Hop knows what I actually want to eat.
My biggest tip for ordering from the Hop is to be experimental with your customizations to get exactly what you want. For example, some people don’t like mayo on their sandwiches or salsa on their chicken tender queso. To order any item without the usual sauce, just ask for it “dry.” On the flip side, adding sauces makes everything taste better and I recommend mixing new flavors – you might surprise yourself! I prefer honey mustard and guacamole, but BBQ sauce, ranch, hot sauce and ketchup are also popular. You can ask to add any of these sauces right into the wrap or quesadilla itself. You could also probably order basically any combination of tortilla wrap, eggs, egg whites, cheese, veggies or meats that they offer, so feel free to get creative. But if you’re like me, you’ll probably stick with your signature order every time.