Originally published January 30, 2015
By Daniel Perez
UTEP News Service
While its opening is months away, the cafeteria-style restaurant planned for Union Building East has University of Texas at El Paso students salivating at the variety of food options that will be offered starting in August 2015.
The yet-to-be-named eatery will have stations for rotating offerings of American comfort foods and international cuisines, as well as soups and salads, beverages, sandwiches, desserts, burgers and fries, and more vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. The centerpiece will be a Mongolian grill where cooks will prepare meat and vegetable stir-fry dishes on a large, round iron griddle.
Contractors are expected to begin an extensive remodeling of the northwest corner of the Union’s second floor in late April 2015. The planned décor involves stainless steel counters, glass partitions, open cooking areas, wood-finish cabinetry and hard-surface floors such as tile or stained concrete. There will be free Wi-Fi.
Victor Pacheco, Ph.D., assistant vice president of business affairs, said the facility will enhance the campus experience for UTEP’s more than 23,000 students, including the 350 who will move into the new student housing complex that is being built on the north end of campus and is scheduled to open in fall 2015. He said it will be comparable to venues at other major U.S. academic institutions.
“We want to make this a professional and attractive eatery,” Pacheco said. “We want to make it appealing.”
The plan is to have the buffet open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and shorter hours on weekends for brunch and dinner during the semester. The hours of operation at other times are still being discussed.
The concept rang true with several students who were taking a break at the Union near the future job site. They liked the extended and changing menu options, the longer service hours, and the promise of affordable and convenient pre-paid meal plans that accommodate the diverse student population. Those not on a plan can enjoy the all-you-care-to-eat option for about $8 per visit.
Emily Ponce, a junior education major, said she often looks for her meals elsewhere, but said the new restaurant could draw more students who grow tired of the same fare during the semester.
“I think it sounds really good,” she said between bites of her sesame chicken and friend rice from Mein Bowl. She liked the proposed food options and open layout that will snake its way around the dining area and seat about 300. “I think I would eat here a whole lot more.”
Felipe Anguiano, a sophomore nursing student, said he tries to eat healthfully so he looks forward to frequenting the salad bar and Mongolian grill. He said his friends who live at nearby Miner Village often talk to him about needing additional food options on campus.
Pacheco said the University could unveil its meal plans as early as March 2015 on utep.edu/minergold.
Sodexo, the Maryland-based international food service management company that has overseen UTEP concessions since 2001, will pay for the site renovations and operate the new restaurant. The company will close the WOW Café and Wingery for construction. Officials are deciding whether to relocate or eliminate the brand, which opened its campus location in 2006. No other eatery at the Union will be impacted, said Adriana Ruiz, Sodexo’s operations manager at UTEP.
The company is weighing possible names for the venue such as Fresh Xpressions, but encourages members of the campus community to submit other possible names, the food service official said.
“We welcome any and all suggestions,” Ruiz said, adding that names should be sent to aruiz4@utep.edu. She added that the company plans to conduct food preference surveys on campus in March 2015. “We look forward to hearing what our campus community wants to eat at our new complex.”
Ruiz said that the new restaurant’s daily menu will be posted online and the healthier choices will be highlighted. Some choices being considered include beef stew, and meatloaf and mashed potatoes. The day’s menu will take into account other Union food venues to avoid duplication.
This will be the University’s latest effort to provide cafeteria dining, according to entries in The Prospector student newspaper and the UTEP Encyclopedia. The campus’ first dining hall was at its original site near Fort Bliss. The “Pick ‘n’ Shovel” opened in 1934 in Burges (now Graham) Hall, when it was the men’s dormitory. It was operated by the Woman’s Auxiliary. A cafeteria that could seat 300 was opened in April 1948 on the north end of the women’s dorm, which today is Bell Hall.
The University Commons, now the El Paso Natural Gas Conference Center, opened in November 1970 with the goal of feeding 2,000 people per hour. The expansion of the Union Building East in 1981 created the opportunity to add a cafeteria. Both cafeterias closed soon after Sodexo received its UTEP contract.
Frank G. Pérez, Ph.D., associate professor of communication, ate at the UTEP cafeterias as an undergraduate and graduate student in the 1990s. He recalled good prices and a good selection. Pérez was enthusiastic about the new restaurant because it added healthy alternatives and new choices such as the Mongolian grill.
“They put a lot of thought into this,” he said. “They created something for every taste. I think it’s cool.”