John Muir College dining facilities Sierra Summit and El Mercado will shut their doors for renovation this summer, and will remain closed until 2010.
Housing, Dining and Hospitality Director Steve Casad is currently settling logistics for the renovation of Summit and the relocation of Mercado. Casad’s vision for the eateries includes more seating space in Summit ‘mdash; one of the most trafficked dining halls on campus ‘mdash; and a new restaurant to replace the Mexican-themed Mercado.
Summit and Mercado are the only two dining facilities in John Muir College that accept students’ residential dining dollars.
Although Summit will not be relocated, a new dining facility called Goodies is set to open in the Thurgood Marshall Academic Center by fall 2009. Unlike Summit, which closes at 8 p.m., Goodies will remain open until 1 a.m.
The upper level of Goodies will feature a coffee area, sushi bar and Whole Foods-style self-service area. The lower level is designed as a retail market, similar to Earl’s Place in Earl Warren College.
Upon the closure of Mercado, a new restaurant will open in Eleanor Roosevelt College near Cafe Ventanas. According to Dolores Ramirez, lead food-service worker at Mercado, the new menu will feature Central and South American fare, including traditional Salvadoran and Ecuadorian dishes.
During renovations, employees from both facilities will be reassigned to other HDH locations on campus. They will have the option of either reapplying to other dining halls with priority over incoming freshman candidates, or waiting until the completion of Sierra Summit’s renovations to resume their positions.
Ramirez, who has served HDH for 12 years and has worked at Mercado since its opening over five years ago, said she is disappointed to see the restaurant go.
‘I love working here,’ she said. ‘Most of us have worked together for years, and we are very comfortable with each other.’
Sierra Summit Student Manager Laura Comstock said there is currently excessive traffic in the dining hall. During its peak hours, up to 300 students flood the restaurant. Comstock said the remodeling will make Summit’s interior less cramped.
Its building frame will not change, but the redesigned floor plan puts the entrance near the stir-fry area and expands the dining area to accommodate more students.
Mercado will be completely removed from campus. In the absence of its carne-asada tacos and notorious shrimp burrito ‘mdash; a recipe created by Ramirez ‘mdash; Comstock said she believes that traffic will increase at Price Center eateries such as Rubio’s, as will business for the other dining halls.
Muir College freshman Susan Park said she will be inconvenienced by the removal of both of her college’s dining halls.
‘It’s going to be pretty sad because I’ll have to walk farther,’ she said. ‘[Compared to other dining halls], Summit food is pretty good.’
Sierra Summit is featured on the online restaurant guide Yelp.com, with many reviews ranking it among the best dining halls on campus.
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