Major Renovations Coming to USU's Hub

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By Carter Moore, Utah Statesman,  Monday, June 11, 2018 

Once a bowling alley and pool hall, the Hub is one of Utah State University’s most popular destinations for a cup of joe, a study break, or simply a place to sit down. To keep up with demand and expand food options, however, the Hub will be getting a major facelift in time for the 2018-19 school year.

“One of the major changes that you will see when students come back will be how much we opened the Hub up,” said Alan Andersen, the director of USU dining services. “It will be much more of a traditional food court.”

The Hub will remain closed for the summer during construction, and it will reopen in the fall.

While there is not yet an official contract, Andersen said students can expect to see one of the most popular food chains in America joining the Hub: Subway.

“The contract is still in negotiations,” Andersen said. “But if not Subway, another sandwich shop will be there for sure.”

The sandwich shop will be set up where Taco Time was previously, but will instead face inward as to not crowd the hallway.

For those who thought they may need to protest Taco Time being closed, Andersen was quick to calm fears.

“Taco Time will be returning, however in a different form,” he said. “We are actually doubling our capacity with Taco Time because it was a great success outside the Hub.”

Andersen said Taco Time will be where the pizza window and Teriyaki Bull were before, and will have new menus, two cash registers and two separate stations to expedite the process.

“We’re looking to put an in-house Chinese buffet here,” Andersen said, gesturing to the spot where the sandwich shop was previously, “something that we don’t have very much of on campus.”

Andersen said the demand for Asian food options has been increasing, and he hopes the new restaurant will cater to that demand.

“The Scotsman’s corner will remain,” Andersen said. “There will be the front grill and the back grill still, but we are hoping to change up the fixings corner to provide more options.”

One of the complaints being addressed directly, Andersen said, was the long lines for the cashiers. He said customers will pay for their food at the individual food stations with the remodel.
Jaime Bradford, associate director of retail operations for Dining Services, also expressed excitement for the new Hub changes.

Down the hall from The Hub, Andersen said the Quick Stop will be changed around as well — some candy and other items from the Hub will be moved there, as well as some new grab-and-go options.

Meanwhile, outside the TSC by the fountains, students may notice a blue food truck emblazoned with the Dining Services logo.

“We originally purchased the food truck for football,” Bradford said. “We’ve used it for some more special events as well.”

The food truck originally served as a secondary kitchen and concession stand at football games, but Bradford said after serving street tacos for a College of Humanities and Social Sciences event, they realized the potential for the truck, which became fully operational June 4.

Overall, the Hub’s changes aim to make it easier, more accessible, and meet the needs of more students, Andersen said.

“We are trying to stay on top of everything that is going on,” he said.