The Hub houses new restaurant
Utah State University’s food court, “The Hub,” is located on the bottom floor of the TSC and is a place where customers gather and refuel on food from the five dining options on location. Recently, it has become less familiar due to the closure and replacement of two restaurants and the addition of an online ordering system.
Current dining options within The Hub include Scotsman’s Corner, Campus Carnitas, Lotus Kitchen, Subway and Caffe Ibis. Plans include the addition of Chester’s Chicken and Sage Pizza as soon as staff receives the necessary equipment. Notably absent from this list of dining options are Taco Time and The Sushi Bar.
The closure of these two restaurants may surprise those returning for the fall semester, but the decision included financial considerations and what was best for patron’s wallets. Dining Services executive director Alan Andersen explained that because Taco Time is a franchise, it came with fees that the school had to pay. “We wanted to save the franchise fee and build our own brand. Our goal all along is to provide inexpensive options,” Andersen said.
Despite The Sushi Bar being a university-owned establishment, it didn’t generate the expec
“We still make the sushi and provide it in locations across campus but no longer the other items,” Andersen said.
Another significant difference is the online ordering system, which is required to order food at all of the newly implemented locations.
“As people learn how to do this, it has been well received,” Andersen said. “We will change Subway and Scotsman’s Corner to online ordering as well.”
The application students can download on their mobile devices is called Transact Mobile Ordering which may be familiar to some as the same app is needed to buy tickets to events such as The Howl.
Wait times in The Hub can be long, so the goal of this new system is to combat this. Online ordering can offer a smoother and more efficient dining experience as students navigate their busy schedules. Andersen recommended that students invest in dining dollars, which can be used in the app to pay at on-campus dining locations. Additionally, dining dollars enable students to get 10% off when paying.
According to the Dining Services’ website, “We constantly question what we do and how we do it in an effort to find a better way. Problems and complaints are seen as opportunities to become better.”
The Dining Services staff has remained engaged with changing and adapting The Hub to student needs.
“All of the feedback that I have received has been positive. It has been a fun process utilizing our Executive chef, marketing and operations team in developing these new concepts,” Andersen said.
Andersen himself has not received opposition from the students and staff that utilize the Hub day to day.
Despite the reason for online ordering, some have found it to be inefficient. Bryce Jensen, a junior studying animal and dairy science, had an opinion on the matter.
“If you walk up, they don’t even let you order in person. You have to download an app, and it’s just a hassle,” Jensen said.
Jensen has frequented The Hub since beginning his education at USU. He expressed his disappointment in one of the new locations.
“The tacos at Campus Carnitas are $10, and that’s not a good price. They don’t fill me up. I miss Taco Time,” Jensen said.