Some exciting changes have taken place around campus this past summer. Not only have the fourth and fifth floors of the UC building been remodeled to accommodate clubs and students, but the cafeteria has transformed practically overnight. The cafeteria has been revamped from a dull, packed arena to a spacious Market Café. By the first week of school, little maps were dispersed to familiarize students with the new changes.
New features include: a sushi bar open at all hours; the new 500 Station where the food choices are all under 500 calories; doubled space for condiments and salsa; larger grill space; a tripled-size crepe station which now offers breakfast, lunch and dinner crepes Monday-Thursday; 100 extra seats in the dining area; seats close to the stations; and TVs in the dining area featuring USFtv, CNN and sports stations.
Even the wood around the walls of the cafeteria comes from recycled cypresses from the Presidio.
Station 500 in particular is one that offers calorie-counters a place where they do not have to worry. Winslow said, “This is a station where there is a vegetable, starch and dessert that equals 500 calories. It is important because it values nutrition. The other day, the sandwiches we offered had low-fat yogurt in substitute for mayo.”
But do students appreciate the new makeover, or long for the days of the old cafeteria?
Justino Herrera, a junior international business major, thinks highly of the new cafeteria. He said, “It looks modern and up to date with the modern world. The old one looked too outdated. Also, it’s clearly more accessible.”
Herrera referred to the new sushi bar with regular hours, the increased number of available seats and the new environment-friendly-charged design. Instead of the old dancing forks and spoons upon the walls, there are now solid, plain colors that are less distracting and more appealing.
Michael McGinley, a junior business major, said, “I like the new modern look. I don’t like the mini sized water glasses. The tables make people feel looked down upon, but they’re clean.” Indeed, the new cafeteria layout allows the cafeteria to stay cleaner for longer with more space available for the counters and tables.
On the other hand, there are a group of students who think that the cafeteria just got more confusing in its layout and line structure.
Jocelyn Hall, a senior media studies major, said, “The caf looks really nice, but I can’t find anything now. If I want two different things at different stations, I have to wait in two different lines.”
Before the renovation, there were four cashiers stationed for the entire cafeteria. Now, there are cashiers at every food station.
Holly Winslow, the resident district manager, said, “The population of the school is doubling, and we wanted more paying stations for students, so that they could get their meals faster.” With the old layout, “by the time [students] would pay for their food, the quality of the food would diminish,” she said.
Along the lines of the new design and look of the cafeteria, Winslow comments, “It has a young-adult feel. We are treating the students like the young professionals they are. The students love to go out to restaurants. There is no reason why we can’t provide restaurant styled food here. I think the majority of students are proud of their cafeteria as well as the workers here.”
All in all, the majority of students are enthusiastic about the new features. The cafeteria has transformed into a place where students are gathering and socializing, instead of simply eating a quick bite.
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There is still a lack of gluten free foods!
Woah! Looking good!
The renovations as such were very well done. I like it!
Insightful web post.