Future of Food

Food possibilities for UNC’s future

• Medical research: Possible Alpine Bagel in the Bioinformatics Building
• Medical Classes Neighborhood: Dental School convenience store
• UNC Libraries: Starbucks in the Undergraduate Library or Davis Library
• Lenoir Mainstreet: Papa John’s Pizza
• North Residential Neighborhood: Convenience store
• South Residential Neighborhood: Convenience Store with Quizno’s in Rams Village #1

Future students might enjoy shorter lines and more food choices if Carolina Dining Services acts on recent proposals.

Some of the proposals — put forth by a market research company — include major renovations to Lenoir Dining Hall, as well as the addition of a Wendy’s near the Pit and a restaurant in Ram Village.

While some of the options are likely to appear on campus, others such as a convenience store in the Cobb Residence Hall area are unlikely to win approval.

Aramark’s market research team presented a proposal in late October that suggests more than two dozen changes to facilities, food and procedures.

UNC commissioned Aramark to conduct the study because campus needs more dining options to keep up with a growing student population, said Mike Freeman, director of auxiliary services.

But he pointed to the high costs and proposed locations of some of the projects as obstacles to their approval.

Scott Myers, director of food and vending, said it is impossible to put a number on how much all the changes could cost because of many variables in the plans.

Because of those obstacles, he said he won’t actually push for everything the company proposed. The plan calls for millions of dollars in changes, not all of which will make the cut.

Freeman said the Lenoir renovations, including an expansion of floor space and remodeling of the basement, and the Wendy’s, top his to-do list because they address immediate overcrowding issues.

“For Lenoir Hall, I’m totally committed to getting the offices out of here, to get some more retail space,” Freeman said.

He said extending the second floor of Lenoir opens up the option of remodeling the basement for more restaurants.

Freeman also said food in Ram Village is a distant probability.

“To be honest, I’m not burning a lot of brain cells worrying about it,” he said.

The proposal is the result of extensive research on dining patterns conducted by Aramark, Carolina Dining Services’ commercial partner, which used their patent-pending MarketMATCH process.

The market research plan helped Aramark determine the convenience of existing food options in a study that lasted nearly a year. The company also analyzed the number of people frequenting each dining establishment.

MarketMATCH divided UNC’s campus into 15 separate “neighborhoods” for research purposes. They then analyzed dining options with the goal of maximizing people’s access to food.

Researchers worked with a goal of providing individuals with dining options located within a five-minute walk from any location on campus — something already possible from most spots.

They proposed expansion in the form of remodeled eateries and new restaurants, including a Starbucks in one of the campus libraries, an Alpine Bagel Cafe near UNC Hospitals and a sandwich store in Ram Village.

“It’s a lot of proposals,” said Ben Thompson, leader of the Student Dining Board, a group of students that represents the student interests in dining issues.

Some students balked at the cost of adding a Wendy’s to dining options, a change that would incur a roughly $4 student fee. The entire plan proposed by Aramark would incur a much greater student fee.

“Obviously, you’ve got to put some pencil and paper to the financial impact,” Myers said.

To move forward, plans have to pass a host of scrutinizing eyes. Freeman will have a definitive say, while Carolina Union Director Don Luse must approve any changes coming to the building.

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.