New chain coming to the food court

Accommodating the budgets and cravings of thousands of starving students is difficult, but it is ultimately the goal of dining services.

Catering to the light weight of student’s wallet is the easier part, as the school is able to directly control prices on their own restaurants, such as the Valley View Room and everything in the food court except Teriyaki Stix and Hogi Yogi. Many students, however, prefer the taste of national chains or recognizable names.

When separate franchises are brought in, such as Hogi Yogi or Jamba Juice, the school does not control the pricing as they must pay the franchise royalties.  The challenge then becomes continuing to offer food that is both desirable and affordable from restaurants on campus, as well as bringing in the franchises that students are willing to pay for.

According to Director of Dining Services Val Brown, surveys were sent out via email last semester by the Omnibus Survey of UVU and collected to determine students’ franchises and foods of choice. The results showed that students wanted a national sandwich chain such as Subway or Quiznos. A similar survey will be going out in March.

The next step is sending out “Request For Proposal” forms, a formal request, to each of the leading sandwich chains in the Utah Valley market. Forms were sent to Subway, Quiznos, Port of Subs and Gandolfo’s.

The RFP form informs the company that the school is interested in offering their product on campus and each chain replies with their specific parameters. Then it is up to the school to make a decision.

“Dining Services is seriously considering a more recognized brand in place of the Hogi Yogi sandwich restaurant since the contract is up for renewal,” Brown said in an email.

According to Brown, the decision of which chain will be brought to campus will be made within the next 30 days; however, the new addition will not open until this fall, with the change-over taking place during the summer.