Changes made to campus dining

Several new changes to enhance UT students' dining experience have been made over the summer including new furniture in the Student Union Building Food Court and upgraded services of iCrave Pizza at the Crossings.

Vice President for Student Affairs Kaye Patten-Wallace said 100 additional seats were added in the South Dining Hall and Student Union Building Food Court area, due to complaints on the lack of seating during lunch hours.

"We put in different types of chairs and basically refigured it," she said.

The South Lounge in the Student Union Building was also refurnished and reconfigured to make the space more efficient.

Patten-Wallace said she has seen a lot of positive response from students.

"When I walk by, I see students smiling and shaking their head, and the students who have been here say, ‘yeah, have you seen the South Lounge' and are excited about it," she said. "They're very excited about having more seats in the food court. I was over there Monday and it's much less crowded. It's crowded because it's a busy time, but there are more places for people to sit and eat once they get their food."

The iCrave Pizza at the Crossings has been "upgraded" to include a broader menu and now has a similar setup to the Provisions on Demand Market located in Carter Hall.

"The POD in Carter was very popular from the time it started," she said. "With iCrave, we did that in response to budget cuts, and we asked students ‘what do you want.'"

Students told the Division of Student Affairs they wanted more than pizza.

"That's what the new iCrave is," she said. "It's more of a convenience store. It's got extended menus. This is much broader."

In addition to remodeling in the Student Union Building, and an extended menu at iCrave Pizza, the Einstein Bros. Bagels which used to be located in Ottawa East Residence Hall was closed and replaced with "the Palette Café" which will offer students soups, salads and sandwiches.

"It had nothing to do with costs, it was really addressing what students told us they wanted [through the market match survey]," Patten-Wallace said.

Students who frequent the North Engineering Building and the Savage and Associates Complex for Business Learning and Engagement may also see a new food stand in the spring, according to Patten-Wallace. She said those projects are both still in the planning stages.