Friday was the last day the chicken cosmo was served in the dining commons, but there's one box left, and it's currently under lock and key.
Food Services is hosting a Cosmo Essay and Video Contest, and the winner will receive the last box of cosmos, Director of Residential Dining Lisa Wandel said. Students and alumni have until April 25 to send in creative stories or videos about the cosmo.
Many cosmo fans dined in the commons on Friday for their last taste of the sandwich.
"I made sure I came for lunch today, and I got two or three of them. I ate one here and carried the other ones out," Chuck Hagy (freshman-division of undergraduate studies) said. "I have one in the freezer that I'm going to hang on to for a couple months because I think it gets better with age."
Tom Seasoltz (sophomore-finance) proudly showcased the T-shirt he won during lunch, which displayed the word "cosmoNOT" and showed a chicken wearing an astronaut's helmet.
Waring Commons employee Jane O'Reilly (freshman-biology) described the chaotic scene Friday.
"It was crazy. There were so many people here -- and not just students. There were a lot of adults here. Almost everyone in front of me ordered one. It was really popular," she said. Pierce Chicken, the company that makes the chicken cosmo, recently discontinued making it because Penn State was the only customer of the product, a representative for Pilgrim's Pride Foodservice, which owns Pierce Chicken, said. A new brand of chicken sandwiches will be brought in to replace the chicken cosmo, Wandel said, but some students are skeptical about it.
"I tried one of those new ones the other day. I don't think they're as good. I like the cosmos," Shaun Sipes (sophomore-hotel, restaurant and institutional management) said.
Wandel said she's been getting a lot of feedback about the cosmo's last day.
"Lunch was full of excitement. This was a big deal for students and alumni," she said.
Wandel said she met an alumna who drove three-and-a-half hours from Baltimore to have one last cosmo.
"We've been getting a lot of e-mails from alumni asking for extra cases," Wandel said.
Alumni have been asking for T-shirts, as well, Wandel said, adding that Penn State is in the process of placing an order to get the shirts in convenience stores and dining commons. Students will be able to use their meal points to buy the shirts.
Wandel said the popularity of the chicken cosmo was a total surprise.
"We had no idea one food item could connect so well with our customers. It was fortunate to have a product that could connect with people for so long," she said.
Wandel said she's unsure if anything will be able to replace the popularity of the cosmo.
