Huskers are being greeted with a host of new campus dining options as they return for the fall semester.
During the summer, Selleck Dining Center — previously an all-you-can-eat, buffet-style setup — was renovated to feature seven specific restaurants.
The new layout, similar to a food court, allows anyone with an NCard to purchase individual meals instead of paying a flat fee to enter.
“We have four dining centers on City Campus, and all four of them were all-you-can-eat before this summer. We felt that we could offer students more variety and more choice by converting Selleck to a retail-type operation,” said Dave Annis, director of Dining Services.
Restaurants inside Selleck include Qdoba, a popular Mexican-style cuisine chain; Athena’s, which serves Mediterranean-style food; Cold Creations, a smoothie shop; Grains and Greens, which serves grain bowls and salads; Pasta Buono, which serves pasta; Selleck Café, for made-to-order breakfast and hot sandwich baskets; and Scarlet Skillet, for omelets and skillets.
To order at Selleck, Huskers will use the new Transact mobile ordering app to build and select their meal. The app generates a personalized QR code, which can then be shown to Selleck employees for fast and easy pickup. The app is available for iOS and Android devices.
Mobile ordering is also being implemented in additional campus dining centers.
Other fall changes include the addition of Dining Dollars — a separate, reloadable balance that can be used for smaller purchases outside of all-you-can-eat meals — to most meal plans. Students will be able to use their Dining Dollars at Herbie’s Markets, Husker Heroes and all food vendors in the Nebraska Union, excluding Imperial Palace.
“These new meal plans, as well as the mobile ordering app, are designed to give students a lot more flexibility,” Annis said. “I think it fits a student’s lifestyle better, because sometimes you don’t want to purchase a full meal and want something a bit smaller.”
Late-night dining options are also being expanded.
“From 8:30 to 11 p.m. this fall, we’ll be offering new restaurant-style options in Harper and Cather,” Annis said. “At Cather, there will be burgers and sandwiches. Over at Harper, we’ll have a pizza concept called Varsity Pizza and a Champion’s Chicken, which will be our best imitation of Raising Cane’s or somewhere students could get chicken, fries and toast — the stuff they usually go off campus for.”
Students visiting dining centers this fall will find an increased number of to-go options available. Taking food to-go helps with social distancing and preventing the spread of COVID-19, but it’s also an option students have increasingly asked for over the years, Annis said.
“For a while, we’ve heard feedback from students that they want to be able to take their food and maybe go back someplace where it’s not as crowded. It’s a health and safety measure, and it’s also adding to that emphasis on convenience and giving students what they want,” Annis said.
For more information on this semester’s dining updates, visit the Dining Services website.
