By Maureen Inouye
The Cove's menu options may soon expand after the facility adds more food storage by installing walk-in refrigerators in the next two weeks.
The refrigerators will double the space of The Cove's kitchens. Once they are installed, Bon Appétit plans to consider adding more items to the menu during spring break.
The walk-ins are a necessary improvement to The Cove kitchens, according to Kirk Mustain, the general manager of Bon Appétit at UP, and will be placed behind the current building. Construction has already begun.
"As the campus community grows, the building doesn't get bigger," said John Faulkner, the chef manager for The Cove. He noted that The Cove handles about 3,200 transactions per day. According to Mustain and Faulkner, The Cove accommodates 100 to 110 more transactions per day than it did last year.
After the new walk-ins are installed behind the kitchen, the current walk-in refrigerator and freezer will be taken out to create more space for food storage and preparation.
"That's why we cut some menu items - there just isn't enough room to store food," Mustain said.
At the beginning of fall semester, students noticed that several items were missing from the regular Cove menu, including the BLT, the club sandwich and the patty melt.
"I guess I was upset about the lack of club sandwiches. They were a staple for me," senior Kyle Mechling said.
Faulkner said that no items were really cut from the menu - all the items that do not appear on the regular menu have become recurring specials.
"We now have three specials at the grill every day versus one last year - they just come around in rotation," he said.
The expansion of The Cove's refrigerator space makes the reinstatement of items such as the club sandwich possible.
"Some things will be back. Maybe we'll have new things," Mustain said.
The addition of new entrées does not seem to interest students as much as the return of old menu items.
"We need BLTs. And updated onion rings. We need an alternative to fries," senior CJ Hainley said. Hainley also suggested thicker patties on the burgers and the consistent use of one type of chicken strips.
"They need to review the snack foods. They used to have more, like Pop Tarts. It would be interesting to switch it up a little," Mechling said.
Students have also expressed concern about the prices in The Cove.
"Don't charge airport prices - I bought a Naked Juice at the airport, and it was cheaper there than here," Hainley said. "The people are good; I just don't agree with the prices."
Mustain says the prices in The Cove will remain the same for the rest of the semester, but will be reviewed during the summer.
Many essential items, such as dairy products, have prices that remain constant in order to ensure students can maintain good dietary habits, but he admits that the costs Bon Appétit sustains have risen.
"Prices are up 40 percent on dairy, but we've kept that the same for students. It's inevitable that there will be loss leaders," Mustain said.
Although some or all prices will stay the same, the aesthetics of The Cove will not. The Cove has seen other improvements this semester besides the new walk-ins, as new flooring and furniture were installed over Christmas break.
The next possible upgrade for The Cove is the purchase of couches and armchairs, which Mustain is researching with the support of ASUP.
"We need to soften the space, make it more user friendly," he said, pointing out pictures in a furniture catalogue.
Senior Cean Williard would appreciate aesthetic changes in The Cove.
"There's no place on campus where students can hang out, like a coffee shop, so that'd be great to see that in here," Williard said. He thinks St. Mary's Student Center is too big and often too empty to be a cozy space.
Mustain believes changes to The Cove are inevitable as the university continues to grow.
"With so many new bodies, change is necessary to accommodate everyone," Mustain said.
He and the rest of The Cove staff are very excited about the space that will be created by the new walk-in refrigerators, as well as the possible new furniture.
"We can do neat things - if we have the facilities," Faulkner said.
