Almost 10 years after Central Marketplace and Holmes Dining first opened in the SURC, Central Dining Services has decided it’s time to update. New and returning students will see the largest change to Dining Services since the SURC first opened.

More than 800 students responded to a campus-wide survey last spring quarter, that aimed to gather feedback on Central’s dining options.

Grilled sandwiches, all-day breakfast, comfort food and gluten-free options are some of the changes that will be coming.

“The SURC opened nine years ago, and there haven’t been significant changes since,” said Joel Klucking, associate vice president of business and financial affairs. “It is fairly typical for restaurants and retail outlets to switch it up every five or six years, so it was just our turn.”

In addition to the survey, Dining Services collaborated with Robert Lane, last year’s vice president of Student Life and Facilities of the Associate Students of Central Washington University (ASCWU), and a dining advisory committee consisting of students and staff. Together, the group suggested changes to the SURC and Tunstall Commons, where Wellington’s Café was located.

“They told us and it was great,” said Patrick Stanton, director of business planning and budget accounting. “We used that information to send a survey out to 10,000 students and we got 806 responses, which is more than statistically relevant.”

The survey was sent out to all registered students’ emails. Roughly 60 percent of respondents lived on campus, and 56 percent had a meal plan. The last question on the survey asked how Central’s dining compares to other college campuses, of which 32 percent responded that it’s “slightly worse,” and 13 percent described it as “much worse.”

Stanton said these changes to Dining Services have not increased the price of the student meal plan, though food prices are liable to change.

“We, over time, have accumulated money to do these things when we can,” Stanton said.

Dining Changes

Klucking, who helped oversee the survey process and implementation of new dining options, said some of the most popular items requested through the survey included more Asian food choices, all-day breakfast and organic options.Respondents also requested changes to Holmes Dining Room.

According to the survey, only 29 percent of students regularly used Holmes Dining room, which had an all-you-can-eat buffet. This was one of the first things to go, Klucking said, which freed up room for new stations in Holmes and Central Marketplace.

These new stations include a comfort food station, an organic salad bar, a gluten and allergen free food station, an all-day breakfast station and a new sandwich station  that will serve hot sandwiches and hotdogs.

Derrick Smith, the new executive chef of Dining Services, said food from local businesses such as Vinman’s Bakery and ABC Donuts will also be available. Smith said bread from Vinman’s was used in the new sandwich station and donuts from ABC were sold at Cat Trax Espresso.

“This is a real key to what we’re doing now, trying to develop local relationships,” Smith said. “We’re trying to have a commitment to adding more local options. I love that and I think a lot of restaurants have developed that relationship.”

This is Smith’s first year running the kitchen at Central, having previously worked at Eastern Washington University’s dining services.

“I love to hear that students want better options,” Smith said. “It’s my job to look to find good foods, sustainable foods and real foods.”

Food truckin’

According to Stanton, Central staff visited multiple universities including Eastern, Gonzaga, University of Washington and Western Washington University, where they were able to take photos, try food and gauge student feedback. They took this feedback into consideration when moving forward on the newest addition to Central dining: a food truck.

“It came with the flames on it, we really liked the flames,” Stanton said.

The food truck will be open each day from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and features a different menu than in the SURC or North Village Café. On truck’s opening day, a line of about seven people remained constant.

The menu on opening day featured traditional food truck offerings, including an asiago grilled-cheese sandwich, portobello mushroom tacos (which sold out) and pulled-pork sandwiches.

Students can pay using a meal plan, cash or freedom plan.

“We wanted it to feel like a food truck,” Stanton said. “Part of the draw of a food truck is stuff that’s unexpected or customized to the students. We think students want a new venue with different things for sale.”

Stanton said the truck’s placement will change from day-to-day,  and that there are plans to have it featured at events such as home football games or outdoor events.

Klucking said that Dining Services will likely host a contest  on the CWU Catering Facebook page to name the truck. They also update the  menu daily for students to check before they come out to the truck.

“Over the next month, we’ll see all of this come to fruition,” Klucking said.