When plans first came into discussion a few years ago about making changes to The Commons dining hall at the University of Hartford, the idea of renovating and make other changes around campus was also put into action.
In addition to the brand brewing new Starbucks at The Goodwin Café, there are three other key important changes for the 2015–16 school year.The biggest addition will be what is called the SIZZLE program at Commons.
If students are craving some nice grilled steaks or some tasty seafood, then SIZZLE is the thing for them.SIZZLE is a premium addition to the grill station that will begin Tuesday, Sept. 8
When students enter Commons and swipe their ID card, they will have the option to add a meat or seafood option such as steak, filet, ribeye, shrimp skewers or salmon to their lunch and/or dinner.
The cashier will assist in completing the order and it will then be cooked at the grill.The hours of operation for the SIZZLE station will be Monday – Friday from noon to 2 p.m., and 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. on the weekends.
In addition to a meal swipe, it will cost $9.99. Dining dollars, Hawk Cash and credit/debit will be accepted.
Another change can be found in the Village Market where the F’Real machine used to be. It has now been replaced by a self-service Jamba Juice smoothie station.University of Hartford Aramark resident district manager Bridgett Stapleton said the change was to give students a bit of healthier option and to give more variety since there already is a F’Real machine in the Gengras Café.
The NEW Jamba Juice self-serve smoothie station in the Village Market! #UHart pic.twitter.com/1aomh0uNLN
— The Informer (@UHartInformer) August 29, 2015
A new initiative that is soon to come to Commons is the “Please Don’t Waste, Ask for a Taste!” program.
Dining services is teaming up with the Hawk Hall Community Service students to reduce food waste and raise awareness in the University community about the impact of food waste in the world.
The initiative allows students to taste a food item on the menu or by taking away food that they don’t think they will eat.
Having these recognizable brands and food places on campus also serves as a good feature to show when prospective students come to visit on tours.
As far as the progress on changes that were made a year ago, Stapleton said there has been a lot of positive feedback with having Subway in Konover.
She also said that the new meal plan changes that occurred last year earned some heavy criticism early on, but seemed to subside during the second semester once students got used to it.Stapleton said that they are always doing surveys and looking for feedback from students on what they want on campus.She also hinted that “Extreme Pita” may have run its course and that it would be looked into at the end of the year.