Students can expect to see updates on the current dining hall as well as a few popular restaurants being added to the Tarleton system in the near future.

“Hopefully by the fall, there should be a new salad line in the dining hall that should really help with some of the congestion over by the current salad line and the Grill,” Abigail Fesmire, member of the Student Food Advisory Committee, said. “As for some more long-term goals, to my knowledge, there are currently plans to extend the dining hall, providing roughly another 500 seats to the current dining hall. There are also plans to build a full Chick-fil-A, Starbucks, and Chipotle. Also, by popular demand, there is also a plan to expand the food court and to replace the current vendors with a Panda Express.”

Construction on the dining hall can be expected to be complete in 2016, while dates on the new restaurants have not yet been determined. Members of the Student Food Advisory Committee have been working closely with Sodexo dining services to make sure the student body will gain the amenities they want.

“In my position as Vice President of University Operations through SGA, I felt that developing a closer relationship with Sodexo was an important step in order to better advocate for the students in the issues of University Operations,” Fesmire said. “I have attended monthly meetings with some of the management of the Tarleton branch of Sodexo and various other students since about halfway through the fall semester. All of this information, I have heard in those meetings.”

The Sodexo Company has made many of the necessary changes to campus dining possible and will continue to do so in the future.

“Chipotle is one of my favorite restaurants and I’m really excited that it is coming to Stephenville,” Fesmire added. “I have loved serving on this committee and I truly have a greater appreciation for the Sodexo management here at Tarleton and their genuine dedication to trying to make their services better for the student body.”