State Sacramento Spring 2007 Sac State Magazine

Mexican food aficionados can check out the two on-campus locales for Gordito Burrito. Fans of curry or vegetarian dishes stop by Mother India which, in addition to a downtown location, has two on-campus branches. The Fat family, known for several area Asian restaurants—including the eponymous Frank Fat’s—has two of its Kung Fu Fat’s Asian Eatery and Asian Market establishments on campus. Vietnamese restaurant Saigon Bay has a site in the renovated Outpost near the library specializing in Vietnamese sandwiches and pho.

And for palates of all types, Leatherby’s Family Creamery is scooping its popular ice cream.

Frequent surveys guide decisions on who to bring on as campus food providers. “Education and growth of diversity have widened palates toward healthy and ethnic choices,” says David Levy, spokesperson for University Enterprises Dining Services.

But it’s not just local restaurants that see the campus as an opportunity. Sac State was the first California State University campus to get a national fast food franchise when Burger King opened in 1985.

Today it boasts a Togo’s, a Round Table Pizza and four Java City outlets, including the newest in the breezeway of the University Library. A Subway is planned for the new Hornet Bookstore.

“We aim for a balance of national brands and new self-operator style vendors,” Levy says.

Despite a student population of more than 28,000, only 1,100 students live in the residence halls. Most of the on-campus dining is done by students who live off campus—and often come and go from early morning to late at night—presenting challenges to keeping them well fed.

It’s an issue many universities face. The magazine University Business describes a campus as a collection of neighborhoods, the makeup of which can change throughout the course of the day and evening. As a result, the traditional three-meal dining model of breakfast, lunch and dinner doesn’t necessarily meet student needs.

Sac State’s Levy says, “We serve our commuting students by providing the widest range of choices over the widest range of hours that are economically feasible. By being sensitive to the time and resource constraints they face every day, we hope to make staying on campus a viable alternative to going off campus to eat.”

And it’s a population worth courting. A national survey by Student Monitor found students spend an average of $64.50 per month eating on campus.

Sac State is also consistent with a national trend toward food service outlets being scattered about the campus rather than at one huge food court. As the University’s population has continued to grow, student needs, as well as those of campus faculty and staff, are being addressed by dining “districts.”

North dining options are concentrated around Riverfront Center while south options are generally housed in the University Union. Restaurant choices are determined by student demographics and demands. For example, Kung Fu Fat’s second outlet replaced a less-successful grill station. Gordito Burrito opened at Riverfront Center to fill the void left when Taco Bell pulled out of not only Sac State, but other campuses around the country.

The need for flexibility is expected to increase as the University supplements its on-campus housing with apartment-style dwellings. Like other Universities nationwide, the dining commons is already offering “cookedto- order” selections from the grill and a soup and deli station, as well as display cooking featuring stir-frys and pastas.

But campus representatives are looking for the next big thing as students ask for more variety and healthier options. “We’ve added a dietitian,” Levy says. “Emerging trends are ethnic-style foods—TexMex, Asian and vegetarianism.”