Creating an urban setting
When planning which concepts to include in Urban Bytes, the team formed several committees made up of university leaders, designers and other project stakeholders. The dining team also turned to students for their feedback. “We do student surveys,” says Associate Director of Dining Management Housing & Residential Education Faa Taupau. “And I've been collecting the data for the last two, three years and trying to put together a list of the top five cuisines or concepts that students would like to see on campus.”
Students can select from seven different stations, including sports-themed grill concept The Game; an all-day breakfast station; a salad bar and soup station that will also offer fresh-squeezed juices; a South American concept called La Taqueria; Asian-inspired Bok Choi, which includes a Mongolian grill; a Mediterranean station named 500 Degrees and an allergen-free station called G-8. “When you enter the dining facility, it's like you're walking down a street and you have all these cafes with different types of foods and international flair,” says Resident District Manager Chuck Weaver. Urban Bytes also includes the City Edge Cafe, which offers coffee, sandwiches, gelato and more.