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More Options, More Variety

At San Jose State University

When San Jose State University in California decided to renovate
and expand its Student Union on campus, it meant that retail
foodservice options would be expanding too.
Prior to the renovation, the Student Union only had three foodservice
options. “[The school] was looking for more options, more variety,” said
Ryan Ptucha, director for Dining Services with Spartan Shops at San Jose
State University. “We are in a downtown area so a lot of the foot traffic
was going off campus for lunch. It was really something from a Student
Life perspective; as they have increased the number of students living
on campus, they wanted to increase the number of options they had here
for them.”

With the Dining Commons near the residential area of campus hav-
ing an unlimited plan, and the Student Union’s commuter population in

the area, retail options made sense. “[Resident students] had the
option for their board meals already, and because of the unlimited
nature, we don’t count swipes or deduct any value from the plan
itself,” said Ptucha. “When they buy that plan, with the seven-day
meal plan, we give them 450 Dining Dollars. They can use those
each semester at the retail locations. There is far more commuter
traffic at the Student Union than at the commons. We really see
that the bulk of our guests are commuter students.”

Union Square, which is the new foodservice area of the union,
now features seven national franchises and four self-branded con-
cepts. “The goal was to provide a lot of options, some variety and
somewhere in the center of campus for the students to be able to
gather and get something to eat,” he said.

A great deal of research took place when deciding on what concepts
would be a part of the offerings. “We knew there were things that
we wanted to do,” said Ptucha. “After we put in the Panda Express
in the old Student Union for a short time, we knew that it needed
to be in the new Student Union. We wanted to maintain a relationship with
Subway and Jamba Juice. We also had the drive for some options that might
be easier for the students to afford, where Taco Bell came in in the surveys
as a very affordable option for the students. The franchises really were the
bulk of the surveys, and the survey was simply asking people what type of
food they wanted to eat.”
In addition to the refreshed Jamba Juice, Panda Express and Subway,
and the new Taco Bell, the school partnered with Northern California fran-
chise, Le Boulanger – The Baker, for a location on campus. “We have hot

14 | NOVEMBER 2016 ON-CAMPUS HOSPITALITY