With the opening of both Friley Windows and Lance and Ellie’s during the 2017-18 school year, ISU Dining has made significant strides when it comes to listening to student needs and wants when it comes to on-campus dining. 

In the spirit of moving forward with new achievements and changes that will benefit students, ISU Dining has discussed its plans for 2018 and what they are planning to change, focusing on three main on-campus areas: the Hub, Clyde’s and the Memorial Union Food Court. 

Clyde’s

Clyde’s has gone through multiple changes over the last several years, and different groups of students remember Clyde’s for the many different food options the dining center below Union Drive Marketplace has offered. 

While Clyde’s was known as a burger joint at one point, it was converted to a healthier, express meal style eatery two years ago. However, Clyde’s is converting back to a hamburger and shake place, and a plan to add a Starbucks Coffee to the building is also in the works.  

“The plan is to have some mobile ordering, and to have Clyde’s be open for breakfast, to serve egg sandwiches and Starbucks coffee,” said Mohamed Ali, director of ISU Dining.

Despite the proposed addition of the Starbucks, the changes to Clyde’s will be primarily focused on changing the food served. Students hoping to go to Clyde’s later in the spring may be disappointed, as it will be more than likely be closing shortly after spring break ends, and will not reopen until fall 2018. 

Memorial Union

The Memorial Union has been and is currently home to chains like Panda Express and Subway, and has also seen changes this year with the addition of the new sandwich shop Lance and Ellie’s. However, Ali has noted that more changes are in store for the food court area of the Memorial Union. 

“We plan to have a new salad bar, include a better lighting convenience. The salad bar will also include hot foods so students can mix and create their own salads as they see fit,” Ali said.

Ali also talked about taking out some of the columns in the Memorial Union, as they are only there for aesthetic purposes and don’t actually support the building.

Of the three dining facilities, the Memorial Union will see the fewest changes over the summer as it already had a large change take place with the addition of Lance and Ellie’s.

The Hub

The home of Caribou Coffee, the Hub is known for both its food and its coffee, as well as the long lines of students trying to get to both, causing slight chaos in the small space depending on the time of day.

According to Ali, the changes ISU Dining plans to make the Hub also include attempting to eliminate the long lines and ease access to both the food side and coffee side. 

“We’re going to separate the food from the cafe, mostly due to the very long lines,” Ali said. “We plan to make it more convenient with quicker service to the students and to have better food. The theme we want for the food is mediterranean: fresh pita, as well as vegan and vegetarian options.”

With all of the renovations and time it takes to complete them, the new Hub may not open until October 2018. However, the date is not set in stone, and more information will be provided when the construction crew is able to give a set date as to when renovation will start and end.