New food options coming to University Center, Fairlane Center

New additions at the University Center will include Starbucks and the Grille@Dearborn, which will serve hamburgers, grilled and fried chicken, vegetarian options and grilled cheese sandwiches. McKinley Café also will include an MHealthy station and Slice of Life pizza station, which will include pastas and calzones. The café will add a Coca-Cola freestyle drink machine.

Campus favorite, Subway, will reopen as well.

In the Fairlane Center, Sodexo will operate Sandella’s Flatbread Café and Simply to Go. Sandella’s offerings include wraps, panini, quesadillas, grilled flatbreads and salads made-to-order; while Simply to Go will feature prepackaged items like salads, fruit and yogurt parfaits. Aspretto fair-trade coffee  will be available for purchase.

Sodexo general manager Susan Matheson

Sodexo general manager Susan Matheson said the focus at both locations will be on fresh, seasonal menus.

“We’re always reviewing the menu to get a better understanding of what the community likes and to explore new food options with them,” she said. “You will not be bored with the menu.”

Fairlane Center’s operating hours also will shift in the fall. Matheson plans to close the café during the typically slow mid-afternoon period and then reopen around 5 p.m. to meet the needs of students attending evening classes.

Sodexo plans to release their catering menus—which will range from “shoestring” to “executive”—later this summer. Matheson also will hire a catering manager in the near future. That new position will work directly with clients to ensure a personalized menu and event.

“Outstanding customer service is our top priority. I’m excited to be involved in the community here, to interact with the students and just be engaged on campus,” Matheson said.

Customer service was just one detail that stood out during the RFP process, according to Kris Day, interim director of the University Center. “We were impressed with the entire package Sodexo put together. The brands they brought forward—like Starbucks and MHealthy—the seasonal menus, and the quality and variety of the food set them apart,” she said. “We’re excited to move to one food service partner across campus and look forward to working with Susan and her team.”

Renovations will start in the University Center and Fairlane Center soon, with the intention of having both food courts completely ready for service when fall classes start. Retail service in the UC will open temporarily this Wednesday, July 17, until construction begins in McKinley Cafe in early August. Fairlane Center South will open by August 9 and will remain open through the summer while construction takes place in the UC.

Faculty and staff with catering needs can contact Matheson directly at [email protected] or 593-0936 until a catering manager has been hired.