New dining hall offers more options

By Ashley Cole
News Editor

August 30, 2012

Photo by Hillary Akers

New booths and lighting, were added to the cafeteria giving dining students a view of the UC lawn.

Students returned this semester to a newly renovated dining hall complete with all-new food options.

According to General Manager Jim Halcombe, talks of a cafeteria renovation have been in the works for more than two years.

The renovation was "not only for the students, but the university as well. We needed to offer something competitive and similar to other schools," Halcombe said.

The dining hall answered the demand with four new restaurants that can satisfy every appetite.

To the left of the entrance is Magellan's, which serves what Halcombe calls "comfort food." Magellan's also has something for vegan and vegetarian students.

To the right of that is the Flying Star Diner which serves "freshly-made grill items, as well as breakfast items that are available throughout the day," Halcombe said. The diner will also serve signature sandwiches, such as Philly cheesesteaks, along with homemade desserts.

Next to the diner is Bella Trattoria, which offers many Italian favorites. "There's pizza that we make to order as well as a variety of pastas," Halcombe said. It also offers Italian subs, sandwiches and calzones.

Wild Mushroom sits in the center of the dining hall and "consists of a vegan/vegetarian station, salad bar, deli bar and a soup station as well," Halcombe said.

For hungry students on the run, Simply to Go is located directly to the right of the cafeteria doors.

Photo by Hillary Akers

Sodexo staff prepare food at the Wild Mushroom. The Wild Mushroom caters to vegan and vegetarian students as well as offering a deli bar.

The decision process for which restaurants would be added involved student and faculty focus groups and surveys.

Even with the addition of four new restaurants, seating in the dining hall is "virtually the same," Halcombe said. While the traditional square table and chairs still remain, there are also circular bar-style tables and chairs as well as cushioned booths.

Construction on the dining hall began May 7, just two days after commencement.

"Demolition was the first phase, and we were on a 90-day timetable, which was pretty aggressive," Halcombe said.

During the renovation, workers ran into a delay that wasn't related to construction but affected it for about a week and a half, Halcombe added.

This delay caused the cafeteria's opening to be pushed back to Aug. 16. This meant students had to be served outside of the dining hall.

"We couldn't provide the same things that we had liked to. We couldn't cook to order, and we had to scale down the deli and salad bars," Halcombe said. "There for a period of time we were actually serving in two locations (UC Lounge and Annex) which made it quite challenging."

According to Halcombe, the reaction has been positive.

"It's been amazing," Halcombe said. "Dr. Carter and Mrs. Carter were in here Thursday evening talking with students. I've been talking with our team and just great reviews from everyone."

In addition to the new dining hall, students returned to a Papa John's and Einstein Bros. Bagels in the new Health Sciences Building.

In deciding which restaurants would be located in the building, Halcombe and his team went through about four different versions of what they wanted to offer.

They conducted focus groups and analyzed students' purchasing habits to get an idea of what is popular.

"The feedback's been good," Halcombe said. "We're a few days into it, but everything has been very well received."