New dining options possible

05/08/05

By Megan Ritter,
Staff Writer

Seton Hill University (SHU) students are wondering why they lack dining options. When hungry, the options available to students are the daily entrees in Lowe Dining Hall or the snack-bar atmosphere of Griffin’s Cove.

Meanwhile, the Penn State campuses offer a full food court and a coffee bar. Saint Vincent College has a food court and an all-night snack bar.

Duquesne University features a food court, a café, a grill, a Burger King, a Pizza Hut, and two coffee bars, including Starbucks.

According to Darren Achtzehn, director of food service, the administration would love to bring such dining options to our campus.
Five years ago, they looked at placing a cybercafé run by Starbucks or by Einstein’s Bagels in Sullivan Hall. Less than three years ago, they tried to bring a Pizza Hut franchise onto campus.

The effort failed both times, despite the administration’s efforts.
“The question is whether the franchise thinks it’s financially viable or not,” said Achtzehn. “The campus isn’t big enough yet, and not enough people stay here on the weekends, to support an investment here.” Achtzehn believes that as the campus continues to grow, there may be another attempt to open a franchise on campus.

ARAMARK, the company that supplies SHU with food, works with establishments such as Quiznos, Starbucks, Pizza Hut, and Burger King.

Also on the table are plans to extend food service to the vicinity of Farrell Hall and the new dorm that is currently under construction.
“It’s a six-minute walk from there to the dining hall, and we realize that’s too long to walk in the rain and snow,” said Achtzehn.

He would most like to see the internal ARAMARK franchise, Java City, come to campus. Java City serves a variety of coffee, smoothies, sandwiches, salads, and baked goods. He thinks that Java City could realistically come to campus within the next several years.

Students have mixed feelings about bringing more dining options to campus, however, the increased variety and flexibility that a franchise could bring to campus is welcomed.

“If we had a café that we could hang out in, possibly until all hours of the night, that would be wonderful, because so many students stay up late, and we all need a break every once in a while,” said Amanda Gallagher, freshman.

Ashlie Littrell, freshman, said, “As long as they were open 24/7, I would be happy.”

Other students worry that with more options may come poor quality. “I really don’t like food franchises,” said Katie Manni, freshman, a nutrition and dietetics major. “I think they lack the personal connection with people, and they don’t provide much in the way of nutritional value.”

While SHU students may soon look forward to extended dining options on campus, Kayla Lukacs, freshman, expressed the thoughts of sleep-deprived students everywhere.

“I don’t care about food, but we need a Starbucks,” said Lukacs.

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Posted by Setonian Online at May 8, 2005 08:27 AM