Associated Students UCLA Board of Directors allocated an additional $100,000 to its construction budget for the Evelyn and Mo Ostin Music Center Café last month, increasing the total cost from $200,000 to $300,000.
The cafe will be located on the ground floor of the new music center and will consist of about 1,300 square feet of interior space, including 1,000 square feet for dining space and about 750 feet that may be used for outdoor patio dining, said Rebecca Kendall, a UCLA spokeswoman, in April.
Construction costs were low during the 2008 recession when the project was first approved and are rising now, said Cindy Bolton, director of food services for ASUCLA.
The initial estimate for the construction cost was $170,000. When the project began, ASUCLA added an additional $30,000 to the initial estimate for small wares and miscellaneous items that the contractor would not provide, totaling $200,000.
Recently, the project’s construction company, Capital Programs, revised the estimate to $245,000. On top of the added construction costs, ASUCLA will also pay another $55,000 for more small items. With the added expenses, the cafe is now expected to cost $300,000.
Although the cafe will be in North Campus, Bolton said she does not think it will directly compete with the North Campus Student Center because it will serve a different community.
North Campus food services saw a 17 percent decline in sales last year, partially because of the South Campus Bombshelter’s success, Bolton said. Though the eateries’ profits have risen from last year, they are still a concern, she said.
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Bolton said the reason for concern is that the food court facility is older and the costs to frequently repair equipment are high. She added that it is too early to tell whether the cafe will impact business at the North Campus Student CenterCourt.
“(The cafe) is not something that we think is going to make huge profits, but isn’t something that will be a loss,” Bolton said.
Compiled by Yael Levin, Bruin senior staff.