Students now have a new and healthy food alternative on campus.
Greenhouse, a health food bar, opened in Ackerman Union on Dec.
11.
The restaurant offers organic dining options including a greens
station, international foods, a potato bar, pasta and bread choices
as well as specialty salads.
Roy Champawat, associate director of Associated Students UCLA
Food Services explained that ASUCLA decided to move and expand the
Cooperage salad bar.
“It was time (for it) to be renovated and increase its
health-food profile,” he said.
Greenhouse replaces Tropix, a smoothie bar that closed down
earlier this year. ASUCLA had planned for several years to put a
health food bar in Ackerman, citing student demand for more organic
options.
Champawat said so far students seem to be pleased with
Greenhouse’s offerings.
Erika Urrutia, a third-year Spanish student and Lauren Mason, an
applied linguistics student, both agreed they liked their
Greenhouse meal.
“I think it’s really great. They have a good variety
and more than what’s downstairs, which had the same thing all
the time,” Urrutia said.
Mason said she liked that the establishment uses recyclable
utensils.
Though in the past ASUCLA had expressed concerns about the price
of introducing more organic foods onto campus, Greenhouse’s
specialty salads all hover around $5.
Urrutia and Mason agreed that organic options are
“definitely important” on a college campus.
“Every school should have it,” Urrutia said.
“Even down to middle schools, they’re really promoting
healthy eating for kids on buses and on TV. It’s a serious
problem. If you have something like this that tastes good and is
healthy, I think it’s a good thing.”
Champawat noted healthy eating is an important goal for
students.
“I do think there’s a trend in the country amongst
younger people to get a better balanced diet. UCLA is a
thinking-people’s place, and it should be a big part of
that,” he said.
The only complaint the two diners had was the inefficiency of
the U-shaped bar.
“There’s only two people working, and it’s a
really long line. It might just be at lunchtime, though,”
Mason said.
But Champawat said the long line indicates that students are
flocking to Greenhouse already.
“Sales have been great so far,” he said.
“They’ve been above our initial
expectations.”