Bon Appétit: Five New Reasons to Like Dining in the Campus Center

The results of renovations completed over the summer at the Campus Center Café may not be immediately visible to the average diner.

But behind the scenes, managers, staff and students say the makeover has created a more efficient, eco-friendly operation that’s also more fun for customers.

“I see a lot of smiles,” says Patty Hentz, manager of retail and catering.

Among the changes unveiled when the café reopened August 28 is a new beverage cooler that has reduced, from four to one, the number of times a cold beverage is handled before it gets to the cash register.

The project also involved installation of a new dishwasher, new panini makers and energy-efficient fryers, and a redesign of workspace and customer flow.

The café serves an average of 621 customers a day, or 4,348 each week. According to Dining Services staff, top-selling items include coffee (24,511 cups sold annually), breakfast sandwiches (2,641) and David’s Cookies (11,470).

A gift from the class of 1961 helped fund this summer’s café renovation project—the first since the Campus Center opened in 2003. Kathleen Zieja, director of Dining Services, said contractors were careful to preserve well-liked features such as the central ellipse and booth seating.

“We were able to do the renovations without giving up any seating at all,” Zieja noted.

More improvements are in the works, including a significant increase in locally produced food items on the café menu.

Here are five reasons why Campus Center dining is more fun this fall:

1. It’s Faster

A new customer “traffic” pattern around the ellipse, combined with expanded workspace behind the scenes, means meals can be served up faster and there’s less jostling around self-serve areas. “It’s a lot roomier,” says Symone Gosby ’15, who has worked in the café since her first semester at Smith. “Multiple people can now be working in the drink area at once.” A newly installed corridor offers busy café employees a straight shot from the food counters out front, to the dishwasher in back. Although the new counter-clockwise flow around the food stations has been an adjustment for café regulars, “I think people seem to be getting it,” Gosby says. New panini makers and fryers have also cut down on wait times for popular menu items.

2. It’s ‘Slower’

With support from a two-year, $168,751 grant, Dining Services is on a mission to boost the percentage of locally grown food on the menu. Already, 22 percent of food used in the café—including coffee, milk, yogurt, hummus, granola and eggs—comes from local farms and other suppliers, says Franny Krushinsky, sustainability and culinary manager for Dining Services. Krushinsky is working with students on a project to post “I’m Local” labels on foods and find more area suppliers for items such as tea, fish and honey. “We’re trying to start a Slow Food movement on campus,” Krushinsky says, referring to the international campaign to promote the growth of local, sustainable foods and seasonal cuisine. “We have a lot of great initiatives already in the pipeline,” she added.

3. It’s Greener

The café’s new refrigeration unit replaces three older, air-cooled models that consumed more electricity. The new cooler also has a cover and a sliding door. “We’ve gained 85 percent more refrigeration space,” Zieja says. A more efficient dishwashing machine also means diners can more often choose silverware over plastic utensils, reducing waste and litter. Dining Services is also looking into ways to expand composting of pre-consumer kitchen waste—which has been the practice since 2010—to all food waste in the café.

4. It’s More Creative

In addition to daily specials, the café has begun offering evening specials, ranging from enchiladas on Mondays to specialty drinks on Sundays. Design-your-own pasta dishes, “fusion” wok meals and veggie items are also in the mix. Lead Catering Chef Sonya Yelder says café menus have changed to accommodate the changing tastes of customers. “Most of our students are world travelers,” she notes. The new workspace and increased focus on local food means “we can be more creative” with the menu, says Yelder, who is a 16-year veteran of Dining Services. “This is a great place to try something new.”

Patricia Hentz, Dining Services manager of retail and catering, says Mudslides are one of the reasons she sees “lots of smiles” in the Campus Center Café.

5. Mudslides Are Still on the Menu

New milkshake machines will continue to churn out an old favorite: The Smith Mudslide (2,766 served each year)—a delightful jolt of Oreo cookie bits, ice cream and chocolate sauce. The Lil’ Smithie is also popular with café diners in the know (1,377 served annually). What’s that, you ask? Why, half a Mudslide, of course!