Last fall, when Lindsay Helms started working at the newly opened Student Center Tally Food Court, she wasn't sure what would happen.
"I didn't know what to expect, but it gets very busy, especially during lunch," the telecommunications major said.
The food court in the L.A. Pittenger Student Center — which was closed for 19 months for renovations — opened last fall with a new Taco Bell and Starbucks for students to enjoy.
Jon Lewis, director of Dining Services, said the new food court is earning the expected revenue. He said the Tally has been more successful, in terms of student use, than the Cardinal Crossing that it replaced.
The Tally had a $100,000 profit last semester, according to documents obtained through a public records request, on $1.6 million in revenues.
The documents also showed an increase in revenues for the other dining facilities around campus during the renovation. Woodworth's dining hall had a $1.5 million increase while the Student Center was closed over the previous year.
Lewis attributed the opening of DeHority Complex to the increase in revenue.
"What we ran into during the renovations was that the same number of students had to spend their money at different locations, so we saw large spikes in revenues and expenditures across campus," he said. "When the Student Center opened back up, that dispersion returned to normal."
The other dining facilities showed a decrease in revenues by almost half this year now that the Tally is open.
Jason Reynolds, one of the chefs at the food court, said the traffic has increased dramatically in the past year.
"We used to only have around 400 people come through here in a day," he said. "With the Taco Bell and Chef's Station opened, we get up to 1,100 a day now."
Reynolds attributed the higher numbers to the more upscale menus and items than other facilities offer.
"Our Chef's Station offers a different entrée every day, which is something you'll only find here," he said. "I know some kids who will walk from LaFollette just for the entrée."
Sophomore Nathan Hilty and freshmen Amy Brookins and John Garlock said they all spend a good deal of time at the Tally.
"We love the new food court," Brookins said. "We come here three times a week for chalupas; it's like our little tradition."
Reynolds said the food court would most likely see more students if it was closer to the center of campus.
"It would be busier, but since we're a smaller building, we can't handle much more traffic than we already get," he said.
Brookins said the cold weather last winter made the walk from Studebaker East to the Student Center harder for the trio, but they trudged through the snow three times a week.
"It really sucked walking here through the snow, but I usually grabbed something from Starbucks and that helped," she said.
More Information:
- The Tally Food Court re-opened August 24.
- The Terrace Café, which operated during renovations, will close May 8.
- During the 2008-2009 school year, Woodworth Dining Hall gained $1,542,043 more than the previous year, partially due to the renovations at the Student Center.
- All the dining halls combined gained an additional $1,639,005 in revenue while the Student Center was closed.
- After the Fall Semester, dining services had received $5,567,814 - only $2,184,210 less than all of the 2008-2009 school year.
- The L.A. Pittenger Student Center will be re-dedicated Wednesday at noon.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
