Because of a recent decline in sales at the North Campus Student Center, Associated Students UCLA is looking to introduce new food options to supplement the current menu and draw in students.
Starting winter quarter, there will be additional pizza and sandwich choices, said Cynthia Bolton, director of the ASUCLA Food Service. This will include a personal-size pizza that will allow for a greater variety in pizza toppings, she said. Healthier dough options, such as whole grain or gluten-free rice wheat, may also be implemented.
More long-term plans could include a new taco restaurant, but all plans are still in the preliminary stages, Bolton said.
The North Campus Student Center currently includes four shop fronts from which students can purchase sandwiches, pizza slices, Mexican food and burgers.
Although some students said they would welcome more food variety in North Campus, they also expressed concerns about the cost of food and said that more lower-priced options would help. Other students said they wouldn’t care one way or another.
“I mostly get food in the value (meal options), so in that sense I have voluntarily restricted my options due to price,” said Luke Watkins, a third-year communication studies student.
Currently there are several value meal options available at the center, including a burger or two tacos for $1. Other items on the menu range from approximately $3 to $7.
Because the new dining options are still in the planning stages, prices have not yet been set, Bolton said.
Some students said they were disappointed that many of the restaurants located in the student center sell similar food. Burger Express and Stacks Deli both sell sandwiches, for example.
Winston Li, a graduate student at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, said the addition of Asian food options would help the center compete with Ackerman Union’s Panda Express.
Although most plans are tentative at the moment, Bolton said changes to the student center will be implemented gradually during the next two years.