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dining

August 28, 2018

What's Cookin' on Campus?

By Mandi Semple

Hungry for something new? You are in luck, because this year Dining Services at Carnegie Mellon University is cooking up re-imagined menus all across campus! 

With more than 15 refreshed primary dining vendor locations, a brand new dining venue in the Tepper Building and major renovations to some of dining’s most beloved spaces, you are sure to find what you are craving wherever you are on campus.

“This year, our dining program takes a major leap toward the goal of offering a best-in-class dining program: one that is social, collaborative, and healthy in its approach to food, the community, and the environment,” said Pascal Petter, director of Dining Services.  “Our new partnerships and enhanced dining spaces offer more customizable menus and foods prepared from scratch using fresh and sustainably sourced ingredients.”

Chartwells

Beginning July 1, Chartwells Higher Education, a division of Compass Group, joined CMU Dining Services as the primary dining vendor. Look for a refreshed dining experience from Chartwells on the catering menu and at the following locations:

  • Catering – As CMU's new primary catering vendor on campus, Chartwells will work with you to create a custom gathering, featuring creative menus and authentic recipes made from the freshest, seasonal ingredients.
  • Located on the second floor of the Cohon Center, the Marketplace has a refreshed look and all new concepts: 
    • Back Bar Grill offers fresh grilled sandwiches, house-made veggie burgers, all-natural beef burgers and more.
    • Bibimbap, meaning “mixed rice,” is one of the most well-known Korean dishes of all time. Customize a warm rice bowl or Bibb lettuce cups with marinated proteins (including certified Halal meats), sautéed and pickled vegetables, chili pepper paste and soy sauce.
    • Create allows you to customize your salad with an array of local and fresh vegetables, non-GMO proteins, and countless toppings, or try a signature salad creation.
    • Bowl Life offers a variety of eclectic flavors with your choice of noodles and authentic broths.
    • Rooted is focused on real, wholesome foods with completely plant-based ingredients for an ever-changing menu of flavorful vegetarian and vegan comfort food.
    • Realwich is a made-to-order sandwich station with locally baked bread. Spotlighting APPLEGATE Deli's meats and cheeses, APPLEGATE crafts craveable food made with non-GMO ingredients, no chemical nitrates, nitrites or artificial ingredients/preservatives.
    • Schatz Dining Room in the Cohon Center offers all-you-care-to-eat dining, including the soup and salad bar and complimentary fruit- and herb-infused waters in an upgraded space. 
    • Nourish is an allergen-friendly kitchen, featuring a menu prepared without gluten, wheat, milk, egg, soy, fish, shellfish, peanuts, and most tree nuts (except coconut).
    • Entropy+, CMU’s convenience store in the Cohon Center, boasts a new look, new merchandising, a renewed partnership with Pepsi to offer sought-after bottled beverages, and, most importantly, a brand new product line with a focus on sustainable and good-for-you food products.
    • Tartan Express – The best Japanese food in Pittsburgh, Nakama will be served from the truck this year. The Tartan Express will open after Labor Day weekend!
    • The Food Hall at Resnik House features a variety of international cuisine, as well as American favorites. Resnik is also home to local vendors: Taste of India, Nakama Sushi, and The Pomegranate, serving 100 percent Orthodox Kosher Mediterranean cuisine.
      • Carnegie Mellon Café’s diner menu offers eggs, burgers and milkshakes all day and night. CM Café will also feature vegan twists on classic diner cuisine!
      • BYOB (Build You Own Burger) has everything you need to create your perfect burger from the bun up - don’t forget to add the sweet potato fries!
      • Cucina is tossing dough made-to-order with flatbreads, ciabattas and pizza.
      • Fresh52 is a build-your-own salad bar that allows you to customize your salad the way you want it.
      • Innovation Kitchen offers constantly changing chef-inspired cuisine, infusing new flavors and trending ingredients into menus daily.
      • Maggie Murph Café – Rothberg’s Roasters in Hunt Library is brewing Starbucks coffee and customizing acai bowls and pressed paninis.
      • Ruge Atrium - Rothberg Roaster II in Scott Hall welcomes a full Starbucks menu and the new FYUL program, which offers healthful options like whole-food earth and poke bowls.
      • Heinz Café in Hamburg Hall received a well-deserved refresh with new merchandising and an improved selection of grab-and-go options.

Rohr Commons featuring Pure and Tazza D’Oro

Rohr Commons, featuring AVI Pure and Tazza D’Oro, is open for business in the new Tepper Building. Pure includes multiple retail concepts featuring menus that are made from wholesome and natural ingredients that are free of artificial colors, artificial flavors and sweeteners, and the use of antibiotics and growth hormones.

  • The Carvery offers specialty and build-your-own sandwiches made with house-roasted meats.
  • The Met features specialty burgers made from your choice of bison, beef, chicken, or house-made plant-based ingredients.
  • Trattoria features pizza made from scratch and baked in a brick oven.
  • Sprout is a 100 percent organic salad bar that makes it easy and delicious to eat healthfully.
  • In a hurry? Grab a Fresh to GO! meal or snack. RAW serves delicious and nutritious raw vegan options prepared simply.
  • Tazza D'Oro serves sustainably sourced Counter Culture coffee and espresso, as well as delicious panini, pastries and desserts sourced from local vendors.

Enjoy a community lunch at the Tepper Quad Grand Opening on Thursday, September 13.

The Underground

Campus’s favorite hang-out just became an even better place to relax and unwind! After a major renovation this summer, The Underground has new and flexible seating, improved lighting, and an open kitchen environment, including a dessert station reminiscent of an old-fashioned ice cream parlor. The new menu features all-day, home-style breakfast, classic and creative burgers and sandwiches, fresh entrée salads prepared with organic greens, small batch, kettle cooked soups, the UG’s famous chicken strips and crispy fries, and of course, dessert!

La Prima

Wean Lobby and La Prima Espresso were renovated this summer, collaboratively funded by the President’s Office, Provost’s Office and Dining Services, and guided by goals of the Task Force on the CMU Experience to enhance campus infrastructure. The renovated space creates a completely new experience: increased speed of service, improved traffic patterns, enhanced indoor and outdoor seating and improved lighting. Expanded food and beverage options include cold brew, nitro coffee on tap and new partnerships with local food vendors to expand vegetarian and vegan items offerings.

AVI Market C

Stephanie’s in Mellon Institute closed this year to make room for a brand new AVI Market C, a 24-hour self-service convenience store. Market C features an extensive variety of selections including sandwiches, wraps, salads, pastries, hot and cold beverages and snacks.

(Due to ever-growing academic space demands, Gingers Express in Baker Hall has closed to accommodate academic needs. Nearby dining locations include Maggie Murph Café-Rothberg’s Roasters in Hunt Library and Zebra Lounge in the College of Fine Arts.)

Are you ready to take your taste buds on a tour of dining? Enjoy free, tasty samples from Dining Services at Taste of the Tartans from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m., Tuesday, September 18 in Rangos Ballroom.