The Kimmel Food Court will not close in the near future, Syracuse University officials said after an ongoing evaluation has yet to reveal if changes to the dining hall’s services are required.

“It isn’t going to close soon,” said Jamie Cyr, director of auxiliary services at SU. “But we’re still evaluating all the businesses.”

Last semester, SU Food Services started to consider shutting down the dining hall after a decline in business during weekday hours. It started in 2010 when the Ernie Davis Dining Center opened, Cyr said.

But changes to Kimmel’s food options added to the dining court’s unpopularity, he said. In 2012, Trios and Quesos replaced Burger King and Taco Bell, respectively.

Outdated facilities and high maintenance costs also threatened the dining hall, Cyr said. The ongoing evaluation will determine what effect changes in facilities, menu options and customer interaction would have on Kimmel’s business levels.

Kimmel’s weekend business is strong, as students often choose it for late-night snacks after drinking. But Cyr said “increased usage by students during the week” would help the dining hall’s turnaround even more.

Solving Kimmel’s weekday problem is easier said than done, said Boris Gresely, the Student Association’s president. But money is the place to start, he said.

“There needs to be a cheaper alternative,” Gresely said.

At last week’s SA meeting, Gresely announced that Kimmel would not close for the time being. Gresely learned of the tentative decision after talking with David George, director of SU Food Services.

The two discussed meal prices and alternative dining halls, Gresely said.

The dining hall’s business would be better revitalized with new menu options rather than changing the venue altogether, Gresely said. As a student, Gresely said he believes people are more concerned with price than quality.

SU Food Services added Trios and Quesos to Kimmel at the end of its contracts with Burger King and Taco Bell. The options are healthier. But students want cheap meals, Gresely said.

“They care more about whether it’s effecting their pocket or not,” he said.

Taco Bell and Burger King barely did. That’s why Gresely wants to work with Food Services to bring a new fast food chain to campus.

An inexpensive option at the dining hall would protect students in the event of increased meal prices, Gresely said.

Because New York raised its minimum wage and the students who work in the dining halls make more than that, additional money is needed to cover dining hall overhead costs. One way to get it is by raising the price for meals. The Board of Trustees is responsible for that decision and has been discussing future plans, Gresely said.

But Ola Ogunbodede, a senior child and family services major who works at Kimmel, said concerns about fluctuating prices at the dining hall will end if Food Services stops changing things up.

Because Kimmel’s new options were introduced in 2012, the only students who had the chance to eat at cheaper locations will graduate by 2015, Ogunbodede said.

“At that point, they’ll only know what’s here,” he said. “There will be nothing else to expect.”

Published on March 4, 2014 at 1:47 am

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