Students fill up with food and friendship at the Cannon Commons at BYU.
General manager of the Cannon Commons, Kirk Rich, said staff focus on helping guests have the best experience by being consistent, on time, meeting individual needs and being friendly.
Rich meets with chefs and a nutritionist weekly to review menus and make adjustments based on customer feedback.
One thing he finds appealing about the Cannon Center is the value of the food.
“15 something dollars for dinner, can't go anywhere else for that kind of price and get full," Rich said.
Samuel Reber, a Cannon Commons cook, said burgers and pizza are some fan favorites, but as the number of international students increases on campus, the Cannon Center experiments with cuisines from other countries.
“We cook a lot of homey foods and we try to experiment, do different cultures," Reber said.
These international foods are found in the cafeteria's Euro section. The center also has a grill, expo, salad bar and an allergy-sensitive area.
Parker Laurent, a BYU student, loves eating potstickers at the Cannon Center.
“It helps me with my classes, eat fast, socialize, it's great. Great place. I love the Cannon Center," Laurent said.
Laurent never turns down the chance to get some free toothpicks.
“They do give toothpicks after and I always grab like 20 of them," Laurent said.
Rich said his favorite thing about his job is seeing happy faces as people are eating lunch.
He sees the Cannon Center not only as a place to eat, but a place to find friendship.
“They can come sit with a group of people that they haven't met before, have some conversations, some good food, and leave happy," Rich said
The Cannon Commons is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner for a buffet-style meal, or "all you care to eat."
Dining is open to everyone at the Cannon Commons, whether or not someone has a meal plan.