During normal lunch hours, it is common to see a line of students pouring out the doors of The Goosey Gander II, an off-campus deli popular among the Lehigh community.
On weekdays, the Fourth Street deli, affectionately known as “the Goose,” is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. For some students, however, breakfast and lunch at the Goose just isn’t enough.
Keeping the Goose open late, until 7 p.m., has become a popular fundraising technique for many clubs and organizations at Lehigh because it offers students an opportunity to enjoy a campus-favored food that is normally unavailable for dinner. A big draw of the fundraiser is the way in which members of an organization hosting the event are involved. Not only does an organization sponsor keeping the Goose open later than regular hours, but its members help to make and serve the food for customers. In return, the organization receives a varying percentage of proceeds based on the amount of money that is spent at the deli that night.
An organization that raises under $1,000 receives 10 percent of the proceeds, more than $1,000 is 12 percent, more than $1,200 is 14 percent, and more than $1,400 is 16 percent.
Owner Tony Silvoy said that Lehigh students started fundraising at the Goose during traditional lunch hours in 2005 and then moved to keeping it open later in 2011. Now, students in clubs, organizations and Greek life keep the Goose open late to benefit various charities and philanthropies.
Sam Lawrence, ’15, who is a proponent of tweeting his Goose order to be ready for pick-up, loves hearing that the Goose is staying open late.
“The Goose provides a delicious and filling change of pace to my normal dinner options,” Lawrence said.
Lehigh’s Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity kept the Goose open late Thursday to benefit its philanthropy, Israel Children’s Cancer Foundation.
Alpha Epsilon Pi’s philanthropy chair, Mitchell Biler, ’15, got the idea to fundraise at the Goose after having a successful event there last spring for a different charity.
“Events at the Goose can be very lucrative, depending on the amount of people we can get to come out and support the cause,” Biler said.
To ensure a substantial turn out, Alpha Epsilon Pi has been advertising around campus. Biler said that by marketing the event through social media and fliers around campus, a larger crowd can be generated.
While the event may bring a couple of new customers into the Goose, the real benefit of keeping the establishment open late is to the charity that students are raising money for.
“Students raise money for children with cancer and for the less fortunate,” Silvoy said. “These things are very important in today’s day and age. I applaud them. The benefit is truly the organization that they’re raising money for.”
In addition to Greek organizations holding events at the Goose, Lehigh’s Dance Marathon also utilized it as a place to fundraise in addition to other methods.
“The larger draw for us was that Tony allowed us to use the Goose to do a full Spring Kick-off Event,” said Leah Gonzalez, ’15, the external director of Lehigh’s Dance Marathon. “We were able to decorate the inside and outside to draw in more customers, sell our tank tops to raise additional funds and register participants for our November event.”
Another reason that many choose to fundraise through the Goose is because of the interactive fundraising. Gonzalez said that having students make the food and get involved personalizes the event and puts a name and a face to the group.
“This is a much more fun and exciting way for brothers to take an active role in raising money by getting behind the counter and physically working to support a great cause,” Biler said.
Silvoy said that he always looks forward to hosting Lehigh fundraising events. Students often ask if he would consider keeping it open late all the time, but he said that with early mornings and long weeks, staying open every night would be a lot.
“People have come back over the years and showed pictures of what the money has supported, and seeing that makes me wish I could do it every night,” Silvoy said.
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