Skyroom restaurant reaches potential with remodeling

The Skyroom Restaurant had it’s grand re-opening Thursday and Friday after being redesigned.

The Skyroom is a hidden surprise on the Utah State University campus. Located in the Taggart Student Center on the fourth floor, it has a diverse history that has been marked with ups and downs. With the latest redesign, a level of class has been added to the Skyroom restaurant, making any USU visitor’s experience memorable.

Apart from the physical redesign, which entailed getting new chairs, picking out new fabrics and reorganizing the whole restaurant, there was a change of staff. USU Dining Services chose a chef from catering to be the head chef of the Skyroom.

Alan Andersen, executive director for dining services, said it is working out better than the system they had before.

“It’s a much better match. There’s a natural crossover. We used to consider it more of a retail operation, but this is a much better fit,” Andersen said.

Amy Rasmussen, the Skyroom’s general manager, said they ended up dong more than they had originally planned.

“The equipment, such as the tables and chairs, had been there for about 30 to 40 years, so there definitely was a need to upgrade the equipment up there. We thought that while we were doing an equipment change, we might as well update the look of the Skyroom as well,” Rasmussen said.

Skyroom employees hope it has reached its potential. They were going for a classy, yet laid-back atmosphere that allows one to feel welcome to the USU campus.

“I’ve been here six years, and I’ve always seen the Skyroom with this huge potential,” said Cory Cozzens, chef of the Skyroom.

The restaurant’s weekly menu is buffet style. Any student who has a block meal plan can use cash equivalency to eat at the buffet, which is part of the new organization. Previously, the restaurant had a menu from which customers could order, but Chef Cozzens decided a buffet would be a good way to keep things laid back, relying on the atmosphere to keep it classy.

“I think we went above what we thought we would do. It’s beautiful,” Cozzens said. “The buffet line was expensive, and the return on investment is going to be a few years because we are going to stop buying fuel. I found the justification of going electric, and that was the sustainability side of me.”

Not only is the restaurant more aesthetically pleasing, but it is also saving energy and trying to be more efficient and sustainable.

If students want a relaxed, yet classy meal, the Skyroom is definitely the place to go.

— roniastephen@gmail.com