Stephen White
University Dining will unveil new choices at the Port City Java locations in Nelson Hall, Engineering Building II and College of Textiles next week, according to Jennifer Gilmore, marketing and communications director for Dining.
Each of these locations will feature the Food for Thought program, which will allow students to pick from about 25 different sandwiches. The selection will rotate on the menus on a daily basis. According to Gilmore, students will be able to use their meal plans to pay for the sandwiches.
“Students are paying for a meal plan, so Dining doesn’t want them to go off campus,” Gilmore said. “If we can meet more of their needs on campus, it’s that much better for them.”
According to Food Service Director Kitty Lewis, Dining approached Port City Java with the idea of expanding student choices at the locations over the summer.
“We went to Port City and asked them to let us do this,” she said. “We told them we wanted to step up the Food For Thought program a little more for our students.”
The new sandwiches will be available from $4.29 to $5.79, according to Gilmore.
Port City Java’s newest location, on the second floor of Nelson Hall, opened in July. According to a Dining press release, the College of Management invited them to put the Port City Java in the Nelson area.
Brandon Scroggs, a junior in business entrepreneurship, said he was pleased to see Port City come to Nelson.
“From what I’ve seen so far this semester, there are always tons of people here,” he said. “There is not really anything in this corner of campus except the stuff across the street on Hillsborough. The closest thing besides this is the library or Fountain, so this is great.”
The only location on campus where the new sandwich choices will not be available is the Carmichael Gymnasium Port City, where Gilmore said breakfast items and drinks are the main concern.
As Dining prepares to introduce the new choices, Gilmore said the focus will remain on providing students with options, both in selection and method of payment.
“When we can provide more varied, nutritional food within their meal plan, it keeps students moving on there way and getting to class much faster,” she said. “We want to give students the best value for their meal plan.”