North Campus Student Center should revamp the food, not just the court
THE ISSUE:
ASUCLA dining facilities have had some welcome, albeit small, aesthetic changes in lighting, flooring and overall appearance.
OUR STANCE:
The changes are overdue, but ASUCLA needs to begin offering dining options that cater to a variety of students' tastes.
By Editorial Board
Jan. 9, 2011 11:14 p.m.
Recent renovations to the food court in the North Campus Student Center are a welcome, if small, improvement.
At a cost of about $70,000, neon signs have replaced their duller predecessors, new flooring has been installed and menu options have been simplified.
But the food court, which has been suffering from a lack of business, needs more than an aesthetic upgrade.
The new food options are still very much the same as before ““ sandwiches, burgers, pizza and tacos. The taco and burger joints have now switched spots. And as before, there are two sandwich shops.
To its credit, Associated Students UCLA knows that more needs to be done. Larger-scale renovations are planned in the next two or three years.
The first thing ASUCLA should do when it renovates is improve the quality of its food.
At $3 to $4 per meal, a majority of food offerings in the dining area are of fast food quality and cater little to vegans or vegetarians.
Additionally, while it is important for food to be served quickly, the quality of ingredients used could stand to be better.
Rather than have two sandwich stands, ASUCLA might consider offering a restaurant with slightly higher quality food and meals priced at around $6 or $7. This is an approach the Anderson School of Management is planning to take when it opens the Italian-themed Il Tramezzino restaurant in place of Espresso Roma Café.
ASUCLA could also learn something from the success of South Campus food trucks, which are popular because they offer a diverse array of food options. Having different food trucks cycle through campus every day keeps students coming back to the area.
The lesson is this: UCLA needs to expand the variety of cuisines offered in locations around campus. The last thing the student population needs is another burger joint, or for that matter, another cafe that serves the standard coffee found at all ASUCLA affiliates.
When the North Campus food court is redesigned, we hope it brings new cuisines to the table.
ASUCLA believes the recently completed renovation will make the food court more financially sustainable. We caution that while profitability is an important factor to consider, student satisfaction should also be taken into account.
Because ASUCLA maintains a monopoly over campus food, and Westwood is too far away for most people to walk to for lunch, students may resort to eating mediocre food simply out of convenience; this means profit may be a poor measure of ASUCLA’s success. We encourage the association to poll students and test food options before they hit the market.
That said, we look forward to future dining renovations and to the improved quality and diversity of campus food.
