Students going to get a package in the basement of the Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life may have passed The Rathskeller Lounge without a second thought. But do you know the fascinating history behind the lounge and its importance to Tulane alumni?
“Der Rathskeller” has been around since March 1966. Referred to as “The Rat,” it was originally built to resemble a German beer hall and was the first location on campus to legally serve beer. This room was used as a functioning bar for students starting in 1966, then became a late-night WOW American Eats cafe outlet and currently functions as a classroom.
In 2009, The Tulane Hullabaloo wrote a piece on The Rat titled “It’s Not Your Granddaddy’s Rat,” describing its entertaining environment containing pool tables, video games, a space for musical performances, arcade games and a late-night dining spot. The article mentions popular items on the menu, including a 16-inch pancake.
“I don’t remember if [the pancakes] were even very good, but they sure tasted good after Boot happy hour,” Ellen Nelson, class of 2017, said. The Rat was open until 4 a.m. for students coming back from a late night out.
While existing as a late-night eatery, The Rat became known as City Diner on campus. A 2016 article, “I spent the night at City Diner sober,” chronicles what a typical night entails. The author mentions outlandish characters such as “Shirtless Joe,” “Sober caretaker Jenna” and “Piano-playing Loyola freshman.” Apparently, The Rat was a popular spot for Tulane University and Loyola University New Orleans students alike.
There is not much information on The Rat from 2009 to 2018. However, on an old thread from 2018 about City Diner and alumni spending time there, one user said, “I was searching for the spirit of the old Rat. The food was actually pretty good but tumbleweeds were blowing through it was so empty … I guess The Rat has lost its student mojo.” Another user responded, “They stopped serving beer.”
This led to a thread of users recalling their time in the diner. One person remembered “ten cent beer nights in The Rat” and “free tequila night (just once for me) in The Rat” in the 70s. Another stated, “In the early ’90s, we could actually use our meal plan for beer in The Rat.”
It baffles me that this once thriving location on campus now remains vacant. What happened to this diner and late-night hangout spot on campus?
Besides old reviews of City Diner on Yelp or the 2021 Fullabaloo article where the Hullabaloo’s comedy section pokes fun at the reopening of “City Diner,” no real efforts have been made to reopen The Rat again. Although rich in history, The Rat is still a mystery and mostly left out of Tulane’s history books.
Should the Tulane student body rally together to petition for The Rat to return to its original glory?
