Arts café now open

October 30, 2009

A sleek new look and new food offerings were unveiled recently at the opening of the Arts Café on the main floor of the Arts Building.

George Foufas, director of Food Services, said the redesign of the outlet, formerly known as the Arts Buffeteria, has streamlined the operation “and made it more user-friendly for both customers and staff.” The replacement of small tables with bench seating was part of the $750,000 renovation, as was relocating the A&W outlet from Lower Place Riel. Customers will now be able to purchase fair trade coffee in Arts, and in all other non-branded outlets around campus.

Food Services has even more plans in the works to enrich the student experience and enhance campus life, said Foufas. A new Tim Hortons outlet is in the works for the main floor of Marquis Hall next to the Bookstore. Foufas said it will be similar to the outlet in the Arts tunnel and is expected to open in the spring. Still on the drawing board is a second Tim Hortons to be located in the Academic Health Sciences building.

Over in the College of Kinesiology building, Foufas said plans call for the addition of a Subway outlet “but there are a lot of different steps that need to be taken to see something like that come to fruition.”

In the meantime, an overhaul of Marquis Hall continues. Physical and operational changes to residential dining, retail dining, and conference and catering “will have a positive impact on all three of those aspects of our operation.” Foufas commented that a lot has been accomplished since the university resumed full management of Food Services in May 2008, “and although change is never easy, the staff in particular have done a great job adapting.”