PFS takes on professional look
By James Allen
Entertainment Editor
UINDY MARKETPLACE
If you are a new student, you might not be able to appreciate how different the UIndy Marketplace is this year. Ted Polk, owner and operator of Polk Food Services, and his team have created a new layout and design that gives students easier access to the buffet-style dining and speeds the process up by the buffet layout.
“We tried to cram everything in one [in our old layout] and it was too small an area. Now, we’ve tried to spread everything out,” said Polk.
He wanted to make it easier for the students to access the food by seperating the stations. The salad bar is now on the side of the cafeteria and not mere feet away where a line typically would back up in years previous. Another improved feature is that a permanent stir-fry station has now been put into place on the end of the main cafeteria buffet and not in the middle of the line with the old design.
The room layout now has long tables with high round tables available in the main atrium. More secluded booths are available in a newly atrium-like hallway behind the salad bar.
Besides the design change, the food in the marketplace has not changed much. It is still easy to find grilled chicken everyday and the UIndy pizza.
The improvements to the food have been the quality in the pizza and the easier to access sandwhich rack that would have normally not been provided anywhere but in the Streets Grill.
SUB HUB
With the majority of major resturants trying to “eat fresh”, it is no wonder UIndy has created the Sub Hub.
In this deli of freshly made food, you can order a sandwhich in anyway you want it. A safe bet at any sandwhich shop is usually the club sandwhich. But here at the Sub Hub, the new Hub Club can be more than filling. At $4 you can fill the sandwhich with all the veggies and extras you want. You can have double the meat for only $1.50 more.
The sandwhiches themselves are actually pretty good. Other choice selections include a Roasted turkey sub at $3.75 and Italian sub at $4.The freshly made bread and ingredients clearly do shine through when you are eating. Every ingredient is either made or prepared fresh each morning prior to opening.
The menu also offers a fresh selection of salads starting with a small salad at only $1.50. The house salad at $2.50 and the Sub Hub Salad at $3.50 are good bargains as well.
Also on the menu are the soups of the day. There are only two soups per day, but they arrange from a creamy tomato soup, chicken noodle soup, chili, cream of mushroom, cream of broccili and more. There is even a vegetarion chili offered for those who seek it.
It is hard to keep up with the Subway $5 footlong, but these sub sandwhiches are well worth a meal card swipe.
FIESTA GRILL
These may not be “Buritos as big as your head”, but these new Fiesta Grill has the menu to fill any student with one card swipe.
“Streets used to have a mexican menu. The idea was to split up [Streets] so someone didn’t have to wait in a 30 minute line,” said Food Court Manager Lisa Jordan. “It’s all fresh and it is like a mini-Qudoba. Nothing is prepackaged. We make our own salsa and pico.”
There is a vast selection of items on the menu. The most popular items are the beef or chicken burritos for $3 each. You have to option to fill your burrito with the same bar you would see at Qudoba. There is even a veggie burrito for $3. There are also options for steak, steak queso and chicken queso. The new queso sauce is subperb. The steak will cost you about $3.50, while adding queso will increase the cost by $1.
A new feature to the menu is the long awaited quesadillas. You again have the option of buying one with steak, cheese or chicken.
The new design is also equipped with taco salads and nachos. The bowls for the taco salads are fried each morning before opening and are made fresh for each day.
PFS has really outdone themselves! Now go and check it out for yourself! You’ll be pleasantly surprised!
