With last semester’s renovations and menu changes, the Vernon F. Galliano cafeteria has experienced a more than 400-percent increase in faculty and staff meal ticket purchases, according to Sodexho’s campus manager David Wait. Prior to the last two years, when hurricanes and renovations affected business in a negative way, the cafeteria served an average of 450-500 weekday noon meals. Wait said this semester the average has increased to between 690 and 825.

Voluntary meal plan purchases, which are sold to students who do not live in residence halls, also have increased. Wait said the University sold 14 more of these plans this fall than in fall 2006, and this semester sales are “pretty good.”

Wait said the renovations play a big part in the increase.

He said the dining room fits more people, expanding from approximately 420 seats to 511 seats, and offers more privacy with many large booths.

Along with the remodeling, the University hired a certified executive chef to create balanced and nutritional meals, Wait said. Also, he said, the new style of the cafeteria, particularly the themed cuisine bar, has pleased customers.

“I think people like seeing their food prepared and fresh out the skillet right in front of them,” Wait said.

Smaller trays replaced the ones previously used in order to better accommodate people sitting at the small round tables.

Wait said with the old trays, only two people could comfortably fit their trays on the round tables, but with the new smaller ones, three or four can fit.

Changing the trays has included an added benefit of less food waste, which Wait said would help control costs of meal plans.

“In an all-you-can-eat environment, by making a smaller tray available, students will take what they can eat at that time, knowing they can go back for seconds or even thirds. We’ve seen the food waste go down quite a bit in terms of food taken back to the dish return,” Wait said.