Every time students walk into Falk Dining Commons in Steinhardt Hall, whether it’s their home away from home or just a quick stop for a chicken wrap, Marti Bates is there, swiping them in with her infectious smile. She’s the heartbeat of the place. But behind that smile is a true Penn story—one that stretches back generations. Bates’ family has been part of Penn Dining for years, and now she’s continuing that tradition, building her own life here alongside her husband, who runs the kitchen at Falk Dining Hall. For Bates, it’s more than just a job—whether it’s surprising a former student by flying out to their wedding or just knowing the names of the people who walk through her doors, she goes above and beyond. But for all she gives, the reality of her work is more complicated.
In 2005, Bates was 17 and began working at Penn. Intending to work with the rest of her family, she applied to work at 1920 Commons, but the manager recommended her to Falk Dining Hall instead. “I originally wasn’t going to do it,” Bates says. “I was scared, I didn’t know anyone, and I was so young.” But she accepted the job and began to work at Falk Dining Hall as the cashier. Coming up on her 20th year, she reflects on how little she knew about the position—about what it meant to work in a kosher facility—when she began. However, she quickly adapted after meeting the students and her colleagues. In fact, she even brought the rest of her family to work at Falk Dining Hall quickly after she began, including her husband, Londell.
Bates and Londell met as little kids, living just a few doors apart until Londell and his family moved due to a house fire. About ten years later, Bates was living on a new street. Angela, Londell’s cousin, moved in two doors down, and the girls quickly became friends. Angela told Bates that she just had to meet her cousin: He was awesome, she was awesome, and Angela had a hunch they would get along. Londell immediately remembered Bates, but she had no recollection until he reminded her of how he used to terrorize her as a child. A few months later, Londell asked Bates to be his girlfriend, and they’ve been inseparable ever since, now married with four boys and working alongside one another at Falk Dining Hall.
Bates explained that working alongside family is both a gift and a curse. On the one hand, it feels like having a little piece of home with you all day, which can be comforting, especially when you work long, hectic hours. On the other hand, it can be challenging. For instance, Londell is the head cook at night, and if the two of them have a disagreement at home, they have to pretend that everything is fine at work. The one consolation is that Bates works in the front of the house while Londell and her mom, who manage the salad bar, work in the kitchen. Bates then smiles and reflects that despite the challenges of working alongside family, “she would not want it any other way.”
After working at Falk Dining Hall for almost 20 years, Bates has watched both Penn Hillel and the student body transition. She calls it the “kosher wave.” She reflects that at first, Falk Dining Hall was mostly “Jewish–driven” with more religious students, but it quickly became a home for all students. Laughing, she states that after a few years, she “started to see many more girls in pants” and students from all backgrounds. Falk Dining Hall transitioned from being a more traditional space to one that now welcomes students from all over: “Now, we have a very diverse group where we get people from all different backgrounds, and it’s fun and exciting to meet, like, the whole culture of Penn versus just one, like, set of people, one religion.”
Bates’ relationship with the students at the kosher dining hall is marked by a unique blend of humor, warmth, and deep personal connection. "People always say, like, Marti, I think you’re Jewish.” Her family even teases her for working at Falk Dining Hall, given that her godfather was Jewish and she was named after him. However, her role also requires her to navigate sensitive issues with care. She recalls attending a friend’s wedding in Chicago where she was from a very different background than everyone around her, but her friend’s Jewish family showed her so much love and gratitude: “I was the only one who looked like me there, but her family showed me so much love.”
Reflecting on the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel, she acknowledges the need to balance emotions and differing opinions, saying, “I have to sometimes cut it off and cut it on.” This balancing act speaks to the complexity of her position, where she often has to maintain professionalism amid deeply personal and emotional topics. Bates reflects that after Oct. 7, 2023, the Hillel “Jewish community became community again.” Before, it was a mix of different groups who rarely came together, but after this challenging year, it doesn’t matter what denomination or community one is from. Bates observes that “everyone is more together.”
Bates emphasizes how supportive the community is at Hillel, but she also highlights the struggles she faces as a worker at Falk Dining Hall, which operates under Bon Appétit Management Company. This company provides few benefits for its employees, and Falk Dining Hall workers have been advocating for years for better conditions, including more paid time off, extended health coverage, fairer pay for their hours, and longer maternity leave—to no avail.
Reflecting on her own experience, Bates shares how, after the birth of her second son, she was threatened with termination for taking two weeks off without a doctor’s note approving her maternity leave. She was forced into an impossible choice: “Picking between bonding with [her] child or taking care of [her] child financially.” Under Bon Appétit’s policies, there is no paid maternity leave, and she “wasn’t able to enjoy motherhood” after giving birth. Instead, she was left worrying about how her family could survive without her income if she didn’t return to work immediately. To make matters worse, the day she gave birth, her husband received a call demanding he “come back to work because he was not the one in labor.”
Her work schedule is intense, often from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., as she strives to support her family. Yet, “I am still just a cashier at kosher dining,” she notes, reflecting on her disappointment over a lack of growth opportunities. Bates has been pushing for a promotion to a position at the front of the house, a role she believes she deserves after the years of dedication and long hours she has put into her job.
At one point, Bates was promised a promotion to act as a liaison between the community and the dining staff. However, after unionizing with other Penn workers, Bon Appétit quickly withdrew the offer, claiming it was never a serious possibility, despite her having invested time and effort in preparation for the role. She often feels restricted, with limited opportunities for advancement as “they just keep saying ‘It’s a no’ whenever any of the dining workers make requests.”
“For me, it’s a confidence thing. You know how hard it is to hear your son say, ‘You’re just a cashier?’” Bates reflects sadly. Her hard work, which keeps her away from her family, frequently feels unappreciated and unrewarded. Each new contract negotiation yields minimal progress. In the most recent contract this past summer, workers only received a 92–cent raise, while all other requests were dismissed. “I often feel stuck. People tell me that I run the dining hall, and while it seems that way, I still have to suffer. You can be a woman and do everything well and still not be great enough.” To cope, Bates repeats daily affirmations to herself: “You are more than your job, you’re great, you’re awesome.”
Bates does her best to maintain a positive outlook. She wakes up each day looking forward to seeing the students and maintaining her connections with them. “I truly love working at Hillel and working in customer service. The student body is respectful, [and] the other staff members at Hillel are great to work with. It is a great place to work, but a lot of cons come with it.”
Every day, Bates is there, greeting students, learning their names, and transforming a simple meal swipe into a moment of genuine connection. But if you take a closer look, you’ll see someone who has faced challenges—who’s built a life centered around community, family, and grit, even when the odds were stacked against her.
Bates isn’t just a familiar face we pass by—she’s someone who has shaped this space with her spirit. She’s turned Falk Dining Hall into a haven for students from every background and woven herself into the fabric of Penn, all while navigating a workplace that too often overlooks her contributions. As she shows up day after day, Bates’ story encourages us to look beyond the everyday smiles we might take for granted. We owe it to her—and to everyone who keeps Penn running—to show up for them the way they show up for us. There’s a call to action in this story: to see, to recognize, and to advocate for the people who make our community feel like home.
