TCU Daily Skiff - Main to get a face lift this summer

	*Friday, March 05, 2004*

Main to get a face lift this summer
Students could see improvements in food choices if plans of renovation are passed.

By Ferrell Fields

The Main could be getting a face lift this summer.

Plans are in the works of possible renovations that would give students more food selections and the opportunity to see their food being prepared, said Don Mills, vice chancellor for Student Affairs.

Rough estimates for the renovations are between $1 million and $1.5 million, said George Ferguson, Student Government Association chairman.

“We want students to be part of the culinary experience by bringing food preparation and assembly to the front where students can watch,” said Rick Flores, general manager of Dining Services.

The Main as it is now was not built to accommodate the amount of students that use the dining hall, Mills said.

The sitting space in the Main can only hold 350 students so officials are working toward a design that would not take away seating but expand the food area, Flores said.

“We are working with many possibilities about what kind of format we are able to use with what we have now,” Flores said.

The renovations could resemble the concept of a food court. It would have specific stations with different types of food at each station, giving students more choices and flexibility, Mills said.

Ferguson said students will see a definite change in the arrangement of The Main with many new additions.

The salad bar will be just as large but not in the middle of the food area. The pasta station will also offer more varieties. Food will be served at a quicker pace because of a new grill with a more sufficient way of frying foods, Ferguson said.

Flores said a Euro kitchen format is also a possibility. This format would have things such as pizza and hamburger’s being made in front of you instead of the food sitting longer than it should.

The locations and sketches of the plans for the new renovations have been an integral part of SGA’s attempt to make the new Main the best it can possibly be, Ferguson said.

“There are some technicalities that must be overcome, but know that this project will be for the betterment of TCU,” Ferguson said.

A challenge that will be faced in the renovation is that there is only one ventilation system for the kitchen and we will have to make sure that we can add an extra one if needed for the grill, Flores said.

“If we want this to occur, we need a general consensus from the students that this is something that we want,” Ferguson said.

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