As a self-proclaimed foodie, I remember being so excited by the variety of restaurants on campus when I first explored Baylor my senior year of high school. From Ninfa’s to Chick-fil-A, Chili’s Too to Which Wich, the possibilities for how I was going to blaze through my BearBucks seemed endless.
When BearBucks stopped being accepted outside of campus, the number of options reduced significantly and I took to campus to find ways to spend the money I was allotted from my meal plan each semester. The Bill Daniel Student Center and Baylor Sciences Building food courts became my go-to places to find food that wasn’t from the dining halls.
But sadly, coming to the end of my senior year, this seems to be changing as well. Baylor’s on-campus selection of third-party vendors has slowly, year by year, decreased in options.
First, Chili’s Too and a Starbucks closed and so did the hope of a SUB-like food court in the bottom-floor of Garage Mahal. Whispers of new vendors such as Jamba Juice or even Chipotle floated around. However, the space now houses offices.
Next the SUB renovations closed the Ninfa’s and Quiznos I had grown to love and frequent more than I’d like to admit. Though the Chick-fil-A expanded and Freshii was added as a healthier option, it didn’t replace the void that was left from the change.
With the addition of the new business school and other renovations on campus, it would be great to see more eatery options brought back to campus not just for the students but also prospective students, faculty, staff, visitors and alumni.
Students who live in North Village or Russell residence hall would easily be able to access these restaurants as well as students with classes in Castellaw Communication Center or Rogers Engineering and Computer Science Building and even students who study in Moody Library.
The the old business school could potentially be a great location to add new food options.
These options don’t necessarily have to be fast food and unhealthy. The addition of a salad franchise such as Salata or a smoothie and juice franchise would be welcome among the current vendors on campus.
By adding these, it would give students more options to spend their BearBucks. It would also help students reduce the distance they have travel across campus to get food. It would additionally bring more student flow and attention to parts of campus not always frequented by most of the student body.
Even though I won’t be able to experience most of the new changes to campus after I graduate, I hope Baylor considers the addition of new food vendors because it would be beneficial to current and future students alike.
So here’s to the hope of a Chipotle being added to Baylor’s campus.
Kendall Baer is a senior journalism major from Spring. She is assistant web editor for the Lariat.
