Sodexho, Nicholls’ food provider, has been undergoing many changes including more variety in food choices, extra services and renovations in the cafeteria and snack bar facilities.
Eugene Dial, vice president for student affairs, and Michael Davis, assistant vice president for business affairs for procurement and physical plant operation, said $4.2 million in renovations are being invested in Vernon F. Galliano Hall cafeteria.
The cafeteria will be renovated from front to back. New tables, chairs, serving lines and cooking equipment will be installed, as well as better lighting. Due to a fire marshal mandate, the ceilings must be replaced because of existing asbestos.
“We’ve been hearing about renovations for years. The renovations are finally coming to a point where it looks like it’s breaking ground,” Paul Beier, general manager of Sodexho said. In the future, Beier wants to see an expanded food court.
Beier said the Le Melange Snack Bar has already received a face lift. The wall-paper was removed and replaced with an oyster-gray color paint. Neons signs have been placed around Le Melange.
Beier graduated from Nicholls in 1992. He said he noticed how similar the food service facilities were to when he was a student.
New food stations were added to increase the food selection. “Sweets and Treats,” one of the new stations added to Le Melange, includes a new Icee machine, homemade sticky buns, cinnamon rolls, and a cappachino machine.
Another station is the “Theme Cuisine.” “Students were complaining that the food was the same old thing,” Beier said. The “Theme Cuisine” was created to add variety. Every Thursday, the theme will change.
Sodexho has already done a bayou theme. The meal served for $5.95 was crawfish etoufee, fried catfish, potato salad and bread. A Mexican theme has also been done. The Mexican meal included chicken quesadillas, a taco and a small nacho grande for $4.25.
Sodexho plans to have an Oriental theme and a jazz theme.
“As we get our feet on the ground, we’ll get the people that work at those stations to come up with their own daily specials,” Beier said. This can be expected in October.
The grill and deli added a bayou burger which is a half pound of ground meat, bacon, cheddar cheese and lettuce. The deli will be serving fresh baked bread.
“The union food has gotten better,” Kristie Simoneaux, English senior from Plaquemines, said.
On Monday, Godfather’s Pizza had its grand-opening. Beier said, “It went really well. We gave out pens, we had a raffle to give out mugs and free samples of pizza were served.”
“I like Godfather’s because it’s grab and go. It’s very convenient for students on the run,” Jim Conley, mass communication senior from Buras, said.
Beier said they also made enhancements to the quality of pizza in the cafeteria. Nearly 50 slices of pizza are sold daily. Baked potato sales have reached an average of 80 to 100 a day. “The pizza and baked potatoes get the students through to the next meal,” Beier said.
The cafeteria offers special services for students. Some of the services offered through the cafeteria are “Express Meals to Go,” “Get Well” trays and sac lunches. “Express Meals to Go” enables a student to select from a variety of quick meal choices and allows the student to take them out of the cafeteria.
“Get Well” trays are for sick residential students. After receiving a form from the sick student’s hall director, a friend can pick up a meal of soup, crackers, Jell-O, a canned fruit pack and a container of juice.
Sac lunches are served in an express program for students with a full schedule. Students can pick up their sac lunch after breakfast. “Since we created all these other avenues, I haven’t noticed as many sac lunches being picked up,” Beier said.
The new computer system in Sodexho enabled cashiers to accept Colonel cards. Beier said possibly in the spring, credit and debit cards will be accepted.
Sodexho also has extended its hours of service. “The traditional eating habits of students have changed, and extended hours of service have helped us give students what they are looking for,” Beier said.