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Flexibility of the venues was also built in to the new facility. “As
times change and as tastes change, we wanted to have that capability
to be able to provide those kinds of options and the flexibility of
the menus at each of those locations,” said Wiese. “We could actu-
ally take an entire concept, in our retail world, and we can switch
it out, changing the menu offering, because we have all of the
equipment there. We have the charbroilers; we have the fryers.
So maybe what is working today as a Latin-themed concept, at
some point gets changed to something else and maybe becomes
an Indian food concept because of the growth of Indian food.”
Also part of the renovations was new seating. “We incor-
porated several different types of seating, because that was
another thing that was important to students,” said Morey. “They
wanted community seating, they wanted high-top seating. They
wanted comfort seating. They wanted soft-seating style, and
we have incorporated a lot of that throughout both floors.”
In addition to the renovations at the former Leo’s Dining
Hall, Hoya Food Court in Leavey Center went from three
concepts to two. “One of those is Chick-fil-A,” said Wiese.
“Through all of the research we did, we asked students what
types of food they were looking for, and then we asked them
is driven by digital monitors. This week it is Indian food and specific brands that they were interested in. From a type of
last week it was Italian. Basically, all of the trade dress changes food perspective, one of things that came back was smoked
from a digital monitor perspective, and then the entire concept meats like pulled pork and ribs and barbecue. We added that
changes each week.” into our Leo Dining Hall in two different ways. But the big-
The concept was born out of feedback from students. “This gest brand that came back was Chick-fil-A. We have one that
was interesting as we worked with Aramark on this,” said Morey. is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as a catering
“Students sometimes have recipes that they want scaled for program. The other concept is a salad concept which is made
production. Students give feedback, ‘Hey, my grandmother fresh to order.”
makes the best so and so.’ They can test recipes in this kitchen In addition to the food and look of the venues on campus.
and test them with students. If they become popular, they A change was made in how students could pay for their meals.
can launch them into other areas that they can serve more “One of the other things that was important for us was actually
routinely. Thus the name Launch Test Kitchen.” getting our technologies up to date,” said Wiese. “Students
Whisk is a café/bakery concept. “It does breakfast sand- want to pay with ApplePay; they want to pay with their phones.
wiches, quiches and frittatas,” said Wiese. “The concept also They want to engage in a different way, so we had to make
has ovens there, so you can actually bake cookies and cin- sure that we could meet those needs because it just keeps
namon rolls throughout the day.” continuing to expand on what those expectations are because
“That has been a popular place among students because they are seeing it so much in the traditional retail world.”
they are used to Starbucks,” said Morey. The campus community is amazed with the transformation.
Bodega, as its name implies, is a marketplace. “There “Everybody loves it,” she said. “They are just blown away by
are grab ’n go sandwiches and salads,” said Wiese. “We have the renovations, the changes and how much more modern and
pre-packaged jars of various nut butters. There are actual updated the dining program is, as well as everything we have
groceries that students can purchase, but not your standard done. We have done some other projects adjacent to these
ordinary groceries. There are also hot sandwiches and soups dining facilities as well. It really just drives student life and
as well that you can have made to order.” student engagement in different ways and spaces they hadn’t
Olive Branch features Mediterranean fare with food from utilized the way they are now. It is pretty wild.”
Morocco, Spain, Italy and Turkey. It also has a pizza station. The new program has already attracted potential students.
Sazon is Latin-inspired. “You’ll find seafood from Colom- “During move-in weekend, I had a conversation with a mother
bia, Brazil, Mexico and most of South America,” said Wiese. from Texas whose son considered Georgetown, Rice and the
“Those menus change every week. You can have a Peruvian University of Virginia,” said Mary Thornton, regional vice
dish one week, or a dish from Brazil another.” president for Aramark Higher Education in the East Region.
Five Spice is an Asian-inspired concept with food from “She said he made his decision based on the food program
countries like Vietnam, Japan and Thailand. that was coming. Obviously, it was not in existence when
With both the Fresh Food Company and LEO|MKT, an he visited last summer. During the admission process, the
effort was made to place the cooking presentation in front of university shared good information with their prospective
the students. Before the renovation, most of the cooking was students. The mother and son were both blown away by the
done on the floor below the two service floors. “The students final product.”
couldn’t see the food being made,” she said. “It took a long Wiese loves the results as well. “We have gone from being
time to get the food produced on one floor and move it up behind the times, and we have now gone completely on the
one or two floors. We tried to take more of that kitchen and other side — where there are now meal exchange options for
put that in front of them. Menu items are cooked in front of students on meal plans, and they are in the places they should
students now. They are cooked using more small-batch cook- be all day long where students are. It really drives value for
ing. It is cooked closer to the time it is served.” students from a meal-plan perspective.” —OCH

ON-CAMPUS HOSPITALITY NOVEMBER 2017 | 11