Renovations for Marletto’s Marketplace, planned to begin Summer 2017, will bring new life to the old dining hall.
Associate vice president and dean of students Ted Hoef announced the plan at the Student Government Association (SGA) meeting Tuesday, Feb. 21.
The renovation will have three new restaurants with a variety of options. Sub Connection, a Subway inspired restaurant, will offer made-to-order sandwiches on fresh bread. Wild Mushroom will be another addition and will include vegan and vegetarian options, a salad bar and glutenfree meals. 360 Degree International Cuisine will feature food from around the world, with a different country each week.
Marletto’s general manager Octavio Pino said they chose the concept for the renovation from student focus groups.
“Webster being such an international university, we want to incorporate some of those dishes from those countries,” Pino said.
Freshman Levi Gniotczynski said Marletto’s offers a wide variety of options available for lunch but lacks options when it comes to dinner.
“There’s a lot of limited stations and not much of a variety as what there is at lunch,” Gniotczynski said.
The marketplace will also feature The Flying Star Diner, which will serve comfort food and all-day breakfast. Daily specials will also be offered, similar to a “Blue Ribbon Plate,” and could include meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans.
One wall in Marletto’s will be renovated as a space to display student artwork.
The renovation is set to begin the week after May graduation. Pino said he expects to have the kitchen ready no later than Aug. 20 so he can train new employees the following week.
“We are right on target with all the planning and all the permits,” Pino said.
Pino said the committee meets every two weeks and is in contact with the architect and designer.
In a press release from Webster University, the renovations are estimated to cost $1.16 million, which will be funded by Sodexo. Pino said Sodexo provides the money up front in exchange for the university extending their contract.
A new meal plan with a declining balance system and no restrictions will also be set in place. The plan will rollover any amounts unused in Fall to Spring semester, but any unused portions at the end of the academic year will be forfeited.
Pino said the new meal plan is an all-points system starting at 2,400 points, a dollar a point.
The only frustration Freshman Joshua Cummins has with the current points system is not having the flexibility to use your meal plan whenever convenient.
“With this points plan it seems like they get to use their points whenever it’s convenient for them and get the food they are paying a lot of money for,” freshman Joshua Cummins said.
Starting in the fall, commuters will also be offered a meal plan. An amount of 100 dollars per semester will be offered to all commuter flat-fee, undergraduates.
“We hear from the students is they want to have more flexibility how they spend their money, they feel like they only get so many points… they say the points are spent too fast,” Pino said.
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