Another food place is vital at KPU
With cafeterias closed, there’s got to be something to fill the empty spaces
Whether it's Subway or Chipotle, the empty Chartwells cafeterias need to be filled at KPU's campuses. (File photo)
Ever since Chartwells cafeteria closures on May 1, there has been less food options available at Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Surrey, Richmond, and Langley campuses.
Barring other food places nearby at the Surrey and Richmond campus, there are only vending machines and the bookstore left to grab a snack at the Langley campus. The Richmond campus has Tim Hortons, but it closes at 5:00 pm Monday to Thursday and 3:30 pm on Fridays. The Surrey campus has the most food places, but only because of Grassroots Café.
The empty cafeteria shouldn’t be turned into another hang out and study space either. It wouldn’t do much since there’s already plenty of hangout areas at KPU like Grassroots Café and lounges at the Richmond campus’ Wilson School of Design.
Although I usually get my food from places farther away from campus like Guildford Town Centre or spots around Strawberry Hill, having more options on campus would be nice to grab something quick during class breaks.
Similar to the Tim Hortons, filling the cafeterias with another food place the average student would recognize is my recommendation, especially if plenty of people want healthier food options available.
My first candidate would be Subway—with plenty of options friendly to vegans and vegetarians on their menu, it would be a fitting addition to the food options available on campuses.
Subway also has customizable order options for their sandwiches from breads and vegetables to meats and dressings. They also sell bowls and rice wraps although I haven’t personally tried them out.
While there are at least five different Subway locations close to the Surrey campus, ranging from Strawberry Hill to Newton Exchange, the Subway locations at the other campuses aren’t as convenient to get to.
The Surrey campus also had the first Subway “Grab and Go” station in Canada which got shut down with the cafeterias, so KPU already has previous connections with the franchise. All that being said, this would be my most ideal candidate for another food place on KPU campuses.
Another candidate is Chipotle. Similar to Subway, they have plenty of vegan-friendly and vegetarian options on their menu. With bowls, tacos, burritos, and salads among others, there’s a variety of food options to choose from.
They also have fully customizable orders and customers are able to mix and add extra meats, vegetables, and toppings if requested. Chipotle locations are more scarce around the Lower Mainland, so the franchise would be a great potential food option on KPU campuses.
While a long shot, Kinton Ramen, a local Japanese ramen restaurant, is another candidate I personally would be ecstatic to see on KPU campuses.
Although cup noodles are occasionally available at KPU’s bookstores and Kinton Ramen is probably not as healthy as Subway or Chipotle, having a food place like this where you can dine-in would be awesome to see at KPU in the future.
