Over the summer, Sodexo, who is contracted out by the University to provide on-campus food, made several changes to the J Street facility, including removing the monument and staircase to create more open space and closing down fast-food restaurants Wendy's and Chick-fil-A. New venues include The Metro Diner and Thyme, serving homestyle, full-course lunches and dinners. Sodexo also renamed the returning venues.
GW administrators view the changes as an upgrade, answering students' need for healthier dining options.
"The challenge that we had before us was to bring fresh, nutritious food into J -Street," Nancy Haaga, Managing Director of Campus Support Services, explained.
Sodexo, though, knows there is still work to be done.
"We are still working, still changing, and evolving everyday," Katy Kash, the Marketing Director for GW Campus Dining, said.
One of the early issues for J-Street is the struggle for Thyme to receive business. Administrators, students and Sodexo all seem to notice that students prefer made-to-order options more than the sit-down meals Thyme offers. In the next few weeks, administrators and Sodexo plan to unveil some changes to Thyme, including adding made-to-order paninis and quesadillas to the menu.
Student Dining Board Chairman Ben Leighton is especially pleased with the new Metro Diner, which has a grill for made-to-order items.
"One of the things I've been pushing for is a grill," Leighton said. "The grill has been serving far more people than they've been expecting to everyday."
Now, one of Leighton's top priorities is to make J Street a central meeting place for special events like El Clasico, the highly popular soccer match between major Spanish clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid. Leighton says J Street can turn into a viewing party for such events in the future.
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