Fight for à la Cart still on
By Bill Morrison
Staff Reporter

Sitting in storage, gathering dust, lies the Café à la Cart waiting to be put into use, says Residential Services Director Roger Fisher.

Fisher said when the kiosk was purchased they intended to move it to the Moudy Building South green room for full-time operation once Sub Connection opened in the Steve and Sarah Smith Entrepreneurs Hall. He said everything was in place, but got put on hold because of complaints from the radio-TV-film department.

Richard Flores, general manager of Sodexho, said the kiosk was originally removed because there was some concern over noise in the adjoining classroom. Now, Flores said, they are looking into installing a second door or a sound-proof door to limit noise problems.

“The faculty’s main concern is to make sure you have an environment you can concentrate in and do your studies, and we respect that,” Flores said. “We’re not going to look into the actual cost until we’re sure everyone is on board.”

The kiosk was moved into the green room in mid-February and, Flores said, William Slater, College of Communications dean, told him he was in favor of the move.

“We talked to dean Slater and he was 100 percent for it, he thought it was the greatest thing that ever happened,” Fisher said. “One particular person (in the radio-TV-film department), who took it upon himself to remove the equipment and basically shoved it out into the hallway and said get it out of this room.”

Flores said that while the kiosk sits in storage they are missing out on the $12,000 to $16,000 in sales a day the café had while it was in Dan Rogers Hall.

Fisher said the kiosk cost $25,000. In addition to the initial investment, he said they spent $300 to $400 more installing equipment needed to operate the café.

Fisher said they still want to put the café into the Moudy Building and that he would be willing to make changes to reduce noise.

“We’re not going to go to all of the trouble and think we’ve covered all our bases and turn around and get slapped in the face again as it’s shoved out into the hallway,” Fisher said. “That just really is not treating the food service correctly.”

Derek Kompare, a radio-TV-film professor, said he is opposed to having the kiosk in the green room. Even if additional measures were taken to reduce noise, he said, it would still be a problem.

“I teach classes there, and between people coming in and out the building and the stairs there is already a lot of noise,” Kompare said.

Moudy Building South was chosen as a location for the kiosk because there were no other eateries on the north side of campus and there was a high traffic count in that area,

Flores said. In addition to the high traffic, he said, there was a lot of student demand for an eatery.

“Our research has shown that students won’t go four minutes out of their way to get something to eat,” Flores said. “Aside from Moudy, there are no other traffic areas that would suit the Café à la Cart.”

Slater said he is still in favor of having the kiosk, but that he must discuss it with his different departments. Because of registration, his travel schedule and preparation for a presentation to the Board of Trustees, Slater said, he has not had an opportunity to discuss the issue.

“The reason given for (radio-TV-film professors’) opposition was because it would create too much commotion where there is a class,” Slater said. “There me be other issues too, but we have not really talked about it. Everyone else around here really wants it, except for those folks downstairs.”

David Johnson, a sophomore studio art major with an emphasis in photography, said he would really like to see an eatery in the Moudy area. He said they are so far from the rest of campus that they really have to go out of their way to get something to eat.

“Most of my classes are three hours long and we are only given 10 minutes for a break, and that just isn’t long enough to get some food,” Johnson said.

w.c.morrison@tcu.edu