By BERT MILLS
Students are in for a real treat as one of the most popular spots on campus has opened its doors once again.
Welcome to the new Cougareat Food Court, open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
The pathway between the Ernest L. Wilkinson Center and the BYU Bookstore has also re-opened. This will allow students to travel directly from the food court to the bookstore and not take the pathway around the building.
The actual grand opening for the Cougareat Food Court will be later this month, said Paul Johnson, assistant director of Dining Services.
“We want to make it up to the students,” he said. The area has been closed since May 20, 1996. “We want it to be a big celebration, and we want to kick it off when all the students are back.”
Mildred Jacobs, who worked on the project, said, “It went well, even though there were a few minor changes.”
Pizza Hut, Subway, KFC and Taco Bell Express are still part of the Cougareat, but a whole new selection has been added to the food court, including Homestyle Cooking, Score Board Grill, Tomassito’s, Sugar and Spice, L&T Produce and Chopsticks.
“The Cougareat Food Court (has) the typical variety in a food court,” Johnson said.
Homestyle Cooking serves sliced meats and baked potatoes.
The Score Board Grill cooks breakfast-to-order in the morning and custom-made burgers and french fries for lunch.
Tomassito’s has different types of pastas and salads. L&T Produce is a soup and salad stand with custom-made salads.
Sugar and Spice serves as an ice cream shop and a bakery. An oven faces the front where the cooking is done, Johnson said.
The ice cream is from the BYU Creamery. Muffins and cookies are also be available.
Chopsticks offers a wide variety of oriental food.
Cougar Express is available for students in a rush. It has prepared items to take out, and students can make a sack lunch.
The Cougareat Food Court is also equipped with a time-saver advantage for the students. Before, students had to wait in multiple lines to get the food and then pay.
“A big difference (is) that each sale area (has) its own cash register and its own drink machine,” Johnson said. “Students will only have to wait in one line.”
The food court employs 175 students to run the total operation, Johnson said. This includes the production of the food, opening and closing down the food court and the dishwashers.
Along with the students, a team of managers is responsible for the food sales area. Mitch Smith is the manager, assisted by Neil Cardon and Mary O’Neill.
Full-time employees supervise each area and work with the students.
