The Birthday Enthusiast: Usdan’s Dave Csere Spreads Optimism Throughout Campus

If you have ever eaten at Usdan University Center, chances are you have walked by a friendly older man with a white fluffy beard and a warm smile. Whether you have formally met him or not, Usdan Dining Room Attendant Dave Csere is an underrated campus celebrity. 

An hour and a half before his shift begins at 3:00 p.m. each afternoon, Csere can be found peacefully sitting near the Usdan Information Desk.

Instead of staring at his phone, Csere sits comfortably with his thoughts, a rare sight in 2026. As he sits, he greets every person who walks by with a friendly “Hey, how are ya?” Anyone on the receiving end will feel his contagious, positive energy. 

Csere puts care into every interaction, and the first thing he asks people when he first meets them is when their birthday is. Though this may seem unusual or even random, it serves a purpose. Each morning, Csere goes to his local gas station and buys a Cash5 lottery ticket, using the birthdates of students he has met as his betting numbers. He believes that the day someone he encounters was born on contains the luck he needs to win the $10,000 grand prize. 

“I think it’s his consideration and his generosity that’s really admirable,” Ivy Lee ’28 said. “I initially heard about him before seeing him. He would constantly ask people their birthdays, remember them, and then have the entire cafeteria sing happy birthday to them. I’ve never heard of that [consideration], a staff member who actively cares so much, going out of his way to show how much he cares about others.”

Adding to this sentiment, Lee also commented on Csere’s inclination for gift giving.

“I’ve seen him do chocolates [and] two dollar bills because he thought that was a cool, special, unique thing,” Lee said. “He’s given me a stuffed animal.”

In addition to his love of celebrating birthdays, he also pays homage to other holidays such as Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Easter, sharing themed treats with those he passes. 

Now in his 44th year on campus, Csere reflects on the satisfaction he’s felt in his time thus far at the University.

“I have this saying I got from the news: You find a job you love, [and] you’ll never work a day in your life,” Csere said.

Though he has spent the past seven years as a dining room attendant, Csere was previously famed for his 38 years spent cooking up grilled cheeses on the grill line at Usdan. Csere’s dedication to his connections at the University are only one part of his broader attention to the small moments in life. Nestled in the entryway of his home, Csere has a museum of sorts: shelves devoted to memorabilia that has shaped his life. 

Students have given Csere gifts ranging from a scarf and coaster set, to a Seinfeld Kramer doll, to even a nocturnal night-blooming cereus photograph.

“People call it junk, but I have a lot of treasures,” Csere said. “I have pictures of all my relatives, small photographs with students…one of the students gave me a postcard. I’ve had cards that people would give me for my birthday. I saved all of those.” 

Although a through-and-through people lover, Csere explains that he’s “a bachelor.” 

“I never got married,” Csere said. “I came close, but I never did…I have two nieces and three nephews who I love dearly, and they were my kids…. I was listening to the radio, and they say it’s good for both your physical and your mental health to talk to people.”

While his home life might be on the quieter side, Csere has found ways to connect with his community outside of the house. 

Every Saturday and Sunday morning, Csere visits Sarah’s on Main in Portland, Conn. While others are pinching pennies in our declining economy, Csere is more generous, making an effort to tip every employee each time he dines.

“He’s a really decent human being,” Daniel Weedel, co-owner of the diner, said. “We call him Dollar Dave because he comes in and hands out dollars to everybody.”

Csere includes children as beneficiaries of his magic dollar, extending his graciousness past just the workers in the diner.

Csere has maintained his routine at the University for decades without much acknowledgement. His presence was remarked on, however, when former student Jessica Gorak ’15 nominated him for the 2015 Peter Morgenstern-Clarren Social Justice Employee Recognition Award. Unsurprising to those who know him well, Csere won. In an interview with The Wesleyan Connection in 2015, he expressed feeling “on Cloud Nine…. Winning this award means students do notice, means that I am doing a good job.”

The Argus tracked down Gorak, now a middle school teacher in Sun Prairie, Wis. who still remembers Csere fondly.

“Dave and I met when I was a [first-year],” Gorak said. “We struck up a conversation and stayed in touch throughout my time at Wesleyan.”

Even while working as a chef in the Usdan kitchen, Gorak reminisces on Csere’s infectious smile and positive influence.

“Dave [was] the hardworking and smiley Grilled Cheese Guy,” Gorak said. “During my time at Wesleyan, he always made an effort to get to know students. People lined up to snag one of his tasty sandwiches, a hallmark of the Usdan experience.”

Spanning decades and changing administrations at the University, Csere has become a beacon of optimism for students, even past their departure from the University. From birthday wishes to gifts to just asking how people’s day is going, Csere has become a reminder of the importance of small moments of recognition that leave a lasting impact on students’ moods.  

The lover of other’s birthdays celebrates his own this Wednesday, Oct. 21. Be sure to wish Csere a happy birthday if you see him around Usdan!

Jade Acker can be reached at jacker@wesleyan.edu.