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The Rice Thresher
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by LISA LAW THRESHER STAFF Hungry Rice students may soon have another option when Sammy's and the Coffeehouse are closed for the night. Two of Food and Housing's three proposed meal options include plans for a convenience store and Subway sandwich franchise in the Student Center. If one of these two proposals is chosen and the Board of Trustees approves the blueprint for the store and the Subway, they will be built in the entrance area of the Campus Store. According to F&H's draft of the floor plan, which has not yet been finalized, the store and the Subway will occupy about one-third of the current Campus Store, about 750 square feet. If the store is built, F&H will add an external entrance so the store could be open even when the Student Center is closed, Ditman said. The entrance would be built into the brick wall that currently comprises the back wall of the Campus Store. Depending on student demand and the store's peak hours, the store could be open 24 hours. F&H has not officially specified the store's hours of operation, so the police department has not addressed security issues. Current Student Center hours would not be affected if the 24-hour option is finalized. Construction would start in the summer so the store and Subway unit could be ready to open before the start of the school year. The food currently sold in the Campus Store would probably be found in the convenience store, Director of Food Operations Matt Morgan said. "The products are student-driven," Morgan said. "I imagine we'll have bottled Cokes, chips, snack items. Whatever you guys want. We'd love to have your suggestions." Another benefit is that a Subway franchise could potentially reduce traffic in Sammy's, Morgan said. In a recent survey F&H took of a random sampling of undergraduates, most students expressed interest in a Subway franchise. Students also suggested franchises such as Taco Bell, Wendy's and McDonald's. Subway received 639 votes - about 200 more votes than runner-up Taco Bell. "Subway was overwhelmingly the choice of students," Morgan said. "It offers a healthy substitute." Morgan, who contacted the Subway's franchise department to discuss start-up costs and fees, also said that expenses would not be high. For instance, a Subway franchise at Rice would not have to promote its products through external marketing. Morgan said F&H will internally staff both the convenience store and the Subway franchise, but the department will also welcome interested student workers. - back -
This document may be distributed electronically, provided that it is distributed in its entirety and includes this notice. However, it cannot be reprinted without the express written permission of: The Rice Thresher, Rice University MS-524, PO Box 1892, Houston, TX 77251-1892, USA. The Thresher Online Project -- ethresh@listserv.rice.edu |
