2008 Woodie Awards
Mellers Dining Facility's new salad bar now in service
Wendy Divine
Issue date: 4/1/04 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
After months of construction, a new salad bar in Mellers Dining Facility was up and running on March 29, just in time for prospective students who came to visit the Southwest Baptist University campus as part of Fast Forward Days.
Planning for the new salad bar began last year when Dennis Owens, food service director, saw the need with Collegiate Catering being able to donate the money to purchase one. The previous salad bar, a mobile unit, was made of particle board that began to rot over the years from moisture.
"They were made in the late 1980s and one of (the salad bar stands) was propped on concrete blocks for the last two or three months," Owens said.
Three different sub contractors put in the new salad bar. One did the countertop, another the basic structure and another installed the lights.
Construction for the new salad bar began in mid-January, and the original intent was for the salad bar to be done when SBU students returned for the spring semester. Construction was delayed because the countertop for the salad bar was on back-order. The countertop was not manufactured until March 1, and then had to be shipped from the East Coast to be manufactured in Springfield to fit the space.
"We're going to add nacho cheese and regular cheese sauce on it all the time, as well as tortilla chips and salsa," Owens said.
Some students are concerned that the line at the salad bar will become backed up because the new salad bar is fixed to the wall which only allows students to use one side.
"It's going to take a while to get used to it, I think, because we're used to having two sides and now we only have one," sophomore Kathryn Coe said. "Everyone is figuring out where to go to get everything they want, and it might take some time for everyone to get used to it so it can run smoothly."
Aesthetics and space were a couple of the factors that led to the decision to fix the salad bar against the wall.
"We very seldom needed two sides, and we just didn't have room in the dining room to take out a section where we could make it two-sided," Owens said. "I think the end product ended up looking better up against the wall where it could remain fixed, and we could have drain lines and a mirror backing."
Planning for the new salad bar began last year when Dennis Owens, food service director, saw the need with Collegiate Catering being able to donate the money to purchase one. The previous salad bar, a mobile unit, was made of particle board that began to rot over the years from moisture.
"They were made in the late 1980s and one of (the salad bar stands) was propped on concrete blocks for the last two or three months," Owens said.
Three different sub contractors put in the new salad bar. One did the countertop, another the basic structure and another installed the lights.
Construction for the new salad bar began in mid-January, and the original intent was for the salad bar to be done when SBU students returned for the spring semester. Construction was delayed because the countertop for the salad bar was on back-order. The countertop was not manufactured until March 1, and then had to be shipped from the East Coast to be manufactured in Springfield to fit the space.
"We're going to add nacho cheese and regular cheese sauce on it all the time, as well as tortilla chips and salsa," Owens said.
Some students are concerned that the line at the salad bar will become backed up because the new salad bar is fixed to the wall which only allows students to use one side.
"It's going to take a while to get used to it, I think, because we're used to having two sides and now we only have one," sophomore Kathryn Coe said. "Everyone is figuring out where to go to get everything they want, and it might take some time for everyone to get used to it so it can run smoothly."
Aesthetics and space were a couple of the factors that led to the decision to fix the salad bar against the wall.
"We very seldom needed two sides, and we just didn't have room in the dining room to take out a section where we could make it two-sided," Owens said. "I think the end product ended up looking better up against the wall where it could remain fixed, and we could have drain lines and a mirror backing."
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