IUPUI students, staff and faculty got their last taste of the classic layout of the Campus Center’s main-floor dining space this week. When the spring 2019 semester begins on Jan. 7, phase one of the yearlong renovation should be complete.
Next month will bring the opening of The Market, a convenience store with take-away lunch options, and the closure of Outtakes, which will be the future home of Simply Puur. That eatery will concentrate on healthy, sustainable, vegetarian and vegan options and is expected to open in early March. Crisp, a restaurant specializing in salads, will then be taken offline.
Phase one will also see the debut of new tables and chairs in the dining space; a glass wall that will introduce visitors to the eating area while creating separation from the rest of the Campus Center; and more branded graphics, which will include 50th Anniversary images.
“When students come back from break, all of these old tables and chairs will be gone,” said Angie Hill, director of operations for IUPUI Auxiliary Services.
The dining area will be closed Dec. 15-29. The entire wing will be locked down as the project undergoes more terrazzo floor work, especially where those old moving walls once surrounded the eateries.
“This whole area will have a completely different look when the students come back,” said Stacy Blanton, resident district manager at IUPUI for Chartwells.
The dining outlets will close or move during those two weeks. Papa John’s and Chick-fil-A will dish out lunch favorites from the second-floor Erbert and Gerbert’s area. The three eateries will coexist from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., the usual winter break Campus Center lunch hours.
The first hammers fell in August, and completion is expected in August 2019. Construction will continue throughout the spring as the next phases of the renovation are built out, including the new stand-alone Chick-fil-A space and community tables closer to the restaurants.