By George Mauzy
Staff writer
Ohio University's Dining Services has successfully changed what was a drab dining hall lobby into a charming and quaint mall area modeled after trendy shopping areas in major cities. The mall's decor sports an attractive sunken conversation pit, European-styled columns, glass storefronts and student-produced paintings of local waterfalls exhibited in several display windows.
"The idea of creating a mini mall on campus is an idea I have had for a long time and this was the perfect situation to make it happen," said Director of Dining Services Greg Hopkins. "With the help of several key people, this project really came together and I am pleased with the result."
Following a process during which the University sought input and participation from local vendors and merchants, a new Smart Mouth Pizza and Sunset Strips restaurant, which opened during fall quarter, has been popular because students can enjoy quality pizza and chicken meals as part of their meal plan.
"We added the chicken and pizza restaurants, because chicken, pizza and Mexican food are students' favorite foods," Hopkins said. "More than 900 students visited the restaurant in one day, so we know it will be very successful."
In keeping with the University's ongoing desire to provide opportunities for local business, Food We Love, a retail store that will exclusively sell products made by local companies such as Millie's Munchies, Cantrell Honey and The Herbal Sage has been added to the lineup. The store is slated to open Feb. 1 and will be managed by ACEnet, a local small-business incubator dedicated to assisting the local economy.
The mall includes an enlarged Nelson Market where customers can purchase groceries and toiletries. Inside the store, a new copy services center will be opened to serve students, faculty and staff on the South Green. An ATM machine and two computer terminals also can be found inside the mall. All businesses in the mall accept cash.
Dining services is offering students, faculty and staff the opportunity to leave their legacy at the mall by purchasing an engraved floor tile to be placed in the conversation pit. It plans to sell about 250 of the 4 x 8 quarry tiles, which can be engraved with three lines of type with a limit of 10 characters per line. Proceeds from the sale will go to the Ohio University Dining Services Foundation account, which is used to recognize its outstanding student, full- and part-time employees. Anyone interested in buying a tile can contact the Office of Dining Services at (740) 593-2970.
Despite the mini mall idea being an overwhelming success, Hopkins cautions that this is not the end of major changes for campus dining.
"I tell everyone that sees the mall that they are looking at the future of college dining," Hopkins said. "This is just the beginning of many more innovative and exciting things to come."
