Patio Café renovations postponed until spring 2020

UHCL’s cafeteria, the Patio Café, serves as the main onsite food server for students, faculty and staff. Other options on campus include a small café in the Recreation Campus and Wellness Center and a rotating schedule of food trucks. Starbucks, Chick-Fil-A and daily Patio Café specials, including grilled items, sandwiches and other food on-the-go items are served in the cafeteria.

In fall 2019, UHCL will open its new residence hall creating a need for the cafeteria to expand. UHCL decided to remodel the Patio Café because of the university’s growth, needed updates and to better cater to the students who will be living on campus soon. This remodeling was originally scheduled for late April or early May but has now been postponed.

Dean of Students David Rachita said that the renovations are overdue as well as necessary to accommodate the students who will be living on campus when the new resident’s hall is opened this fall.

“Firstly, it has been close to ten years since the last major renovations have taken place, and it simply is time to spruce the space up and modernize some of the offerings,” Rachita said. “We always want to make sure that we are offering all of our students a welcoming and attractive eating place in order to support their overall academic success. Secondly, having 300 new residents calling campus their home away from home 24 hours a day makes the expansion of the services and offerings necessary. We need to be able to provide a full-functioning dining experience seven days a week, which students will be depending on.”

The renovations, which were supposed to begin in late April or early May 2019, have been postponed until spring 2020. One of the reasons UHCL postponed the Patio Café renovations was because of the extensity of the renovations.

“This level of a project necessitates additional planning, a more encompassing participation by the UH System and oversight,” Rachita said. “Such a project requires more allotted time to ensure its success.”

Rachita said that meal plans will continue to be offered from the beginning. Every UHCL student deserves to have the same dining experience opportunity as every other student at any other university regardless of the renovation process.

“Residents will be required to start with a minimum declining balance of $700,” Rachita said. “We will also be providing two additional options which would help a student plan for increased meals throughout the week; for instance, 15 meals or 20 meals a week, although those details have not yet been finalized.”

Matthew Perry, director of student housing and residential life, said the university is still weighing different options on how to continue to serve students once the renovations do begin. One option is to shut down half of the café for construction while the other half remains open, although there would be safety issues and concerns with this option.

Perry said there are going to be talks about late night eatery options to accommodate students who live on campus.

“If students are going to live here and learn here, they need to eat here,” Perry said.

Cafeteria hours for fall 2019 have not been finalized either but Rachita said the university is planning to extend hours of operation.

“Details have not been finalized, however operating hours will be expanded in the evenings and extended into the weekend,” Rachita said. “The coffee and snack shop in the new Recreation and Wellness Building was built in part to offer another eating option on campus with items such as grab and go sandwiches, salads, snack, etc.”

Rachita said the university is taking into consideration different eating options to expand on what the university currently offers.

“Plans are being implemented, which will provide a diversity of eating options for students on the go and who have the time to sit down and have a full meal Monday through Sunday,” Rachita said. “Different types of food stations, operating hours, seating arrangements, and other factors are all being considered to bring a well-rounded dining experience to both our residential and commuter students.”

Mark Denney, vice president for administration and finance, said no new student service fees will be required to help pay for the Patio Café renovations.

“The funds for the café renovations have already been identified and no new or increased fees or tuition were, or are, planned to cover the cost of the café renovations,” Denney said.

To find more information about the Patio Café renovations, visit https://www.uhcl.edu/campus-life/dining/.