Pizza Hut menu items will soon be offered on the Brownsville and Edinburg campuses.
The set date for the Pizza Hut stations to open is to be determined by construction time length, but the university’s goal is this fall semester.
“Our goal is to start serving at the end of October,” said Gilbert Garza, director of dining services for Sodexo, the campus food service provider. “That is our goal. Of course, it all [depends] on the construction schedule and the completion of that construction.”
The pizza station on the Brownsville campus will be in the Student Union’s El Comedor and will share its space with the current Subconnection station. On the Edinburg campus, the station will be in the Student Union, replacing Slice of Life.
Hours of operation for the Brownsville site will be from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. The hours of operation for the Edinburg station will be 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Fridays. Hours will be updated depending on student response.
In an interview with The Rider last Tuesday, Roberto Cantu, UTRGV executive director of Business Auxiliary Services, said the decision to bring Pizza Hut to campus was based on its widely recognized and accepted brand.
“We want students to stay on campus,” Cantu said. “We don’t want kids to leave … to go grab a bite. We want to be able to have the offerings that’ll make them want to stay.”
Julian Leal, a computer science sophomore thinks the Pizza Hut addition is a good choice and would like to see more fast-food services offered.
“Just things that are, like, quick to eat,” said Leal. “More fast food, something you can just grab like in between classes real quick.”
Ulises Amaro, a biology senior, says he would like to see Chick-fil-A offered on the Brownsville campus.
“I really enjoy Chick-fil-A being on the Edinburg campus, so Chick-fil-A here in the Brownsville campus would be great,” Amaro said.
Besides Pizza Hut, there are no plans to bring other restaurants to the campuses.
Letty Benavides, the university’s associate vice president for Campus Auxiliary Services, said the department tracks sales activities for current venues and Slice of Life, statistically, was not performing as well as hoped.
Cantu also said this was a reason in replacing Slice of Life with a more recognized brand.
“Historically, that Slice of Life, because of lack of brand recognition, we feel … it just wasn’t well supported by our student population,” Cantu said.
The Pizza Hut menu will include 9-inch pizzas, bread bites and assorted pastas at both locations.
Campus Auxiliary Services works with Sodexo on food services.
Sodexo partners with the university to provide “great customer service and food for students and visitors,” Garza said.
Sodexo will employ students for the Pizza Hut stations. Students may apply at its website, www.sodexousa.com/home/careers-usa/index.html.
Campus Auxiliary Services administers and manages contracts with food services, oversees operations and ensures vendors and contractors are meeting expectations as stated in contracts.
“I hope that we are able to continue to find good food options for our students,” Cantu said. “Our goal is to best serve our student population.”
