Illustration by Anayah Darrett
As students return to campus for the fall semester, there are many places to stop and grab a bite to eat.
Dining options are found throughout campus, and students can use their meal plans to purchase food at these locations. Dining Dollars, which are loaded onto students’ Mav IDs through a meal plan and can be used like a debit card, can be spent across campus.
David Albart, director of University Center operations, said parts of the food court have been relocated to Rosebud Theater because of UC construction. The theater is on the eastern side of the UC, across from the Bluebonnet Ballroom.
Other changes include Chick-fil-A moving to The Commons and the UC’s Starbucks closing. Students can still visit the Starbucks in The Commons.
Albart said seating will be available for students to eat their meals inside Rosebud Theater and a southern section of Bluebonnet that has been turned into a student lounge. He said there is a sizable distance between Rosebud Theater and the construction, so students shouldn’t notice any disruptions.
“[Students] may notice some activity as you enter the section of the building that is still occupiable, but there really should be very minimal impacts, if any,” he said.
Dining halls
There are two all-you-can-eat dining halls on campus, Connection Café and Maverick Café. Connection Café is inside the University Center, and Maverick Café is in The Commons.
Students who want to know what is being served at the dining halls can find this information on the Maverick Dining website, which features a menu for each dining location on campus.
The dining halls change their menus daily and include food options in a variety of categories, such as kitchen, grill, deli and dessert. Vegetarian and vegan options are available every day. Each meal plan includes swipes at the dining hall. The number of swipes depends on the plan.
The dining halls are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, they are open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and reopen from 5 to 8:30 p.m.
Markets
There are four markets on campus, stocked with grab-and-go food options. The hours for each market differ and can be found on the Maverick Dining website.
The markets are in the Fine Arts Building, the Business Building, the Central Library and Connection Café. The Market in the University Center was relocated to the east side of the Connection Café due to construction.
Rosebud Theater
Five dining options have been relocated to Rosebud Theater this semester: Subway, Panda Express, Sushic, TEA Co. and O’Desi aroma.
Subway is a sandwich restaurant with various bread, meat and vegetable choices for students to build their own sandwich with. It will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday. It will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Panda Express is an American-Chinese restaurant that serves chicken, beef and seafood options. Students can build a bowl with one entree and one side or a plate with two entrees and one side or order entrees and sides individually. Panda Express will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday.
Sushic serves various types of sushi rolls, including California rolls, dragon rolls and salmon rolls. Students can purchase sushi there from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday.
TEA Co. is a place for students to grab a handcrafted beverage such as boba tea, which can be customized to their liking. Albart said they will also be serving coffee in the morning. TEA Co. is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday.
O’Desi aroma is an Indian restaurant on campus. Some of the options on their menu include chicken tikka masala, chicken biryani and butter chicken. O’Desi aroma is also a halal option for students. This restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The Commons
The Commons has three options for students to grab food or a beverage: Starbucks, Chick-fil-A and Maverick Café. Students can use their meal plans at all these locations to purchase food.
Starbucks is a coffee shop offering handcrafted beverages and pastries. Students can purchase Frappuccinos, hot and cold coffee and sweet items like cake pops or muffins. Starbucks will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday. They will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
Chick-fil-A is a restaurant that serves chicken-based food options, including sandwiches, nuggets and breakfast items such as their spicy chicken biscuit. Students can visit Chick-fil-A from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday. It will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
Maverick Activities Center
Shake Smart is one food option available at the Maverick Activities Center.
Shake Smart is a place for students to purchase shakes, blended bowls and sandwiches. It has fruit-based shakes along with vanilla and chocolate ones. Shake Smart will be open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday. It will be open from 12:30 to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
School of Social Work and Smart Hospital
Students in need of some coffee can visit Social Grounds inside the School of Social Work and Smart Hospital.
Social Grounds is a coffee shop where students can grab specialty lattes like an iced white mocha. It will be open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Central Library
The Central Library offers two options to students looking for food: Einstein Bros. Bagels and a grab-and-go market.
Einstein Bros. Bagels offers a selection of bagels and cream cheese. It has various bagels, including honey whole wheat, pumpernickel and cinnamon raisin. The cream cheese also comes in various flavors. Einstein Bros. Bagels will be open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The Market at the Central Library will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday.
Science and Engineering Innovation and Research Building
Students in the SEIR Building can visit Inclusion Coffee Express if they are looking for coffee.
Inclusion Coffee Express has a variety of hot and cold coffees and a selection of pastries. It will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday.
UTA Bookstore
The UTA Bookstore has a new café, called Saxbys, for students to grab a coffee or sandwich from.
Saxbys is a student-run café with items such as hot brewed coffee, lattes and different types of grilled cheese sandwiches. It had its grand opening Aug. 12.
College Park District
Students near College Park District can stop by Panera Bread to grab something to eat.
Panera Bread is a café with items such as bread bowls, soup and sandwiches on its menu. Students can visit from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Sunday.
Food trucks
A variety of food trucks will be outside the University Center by the horse statues from Monday to Friday this fall. Some will offer coffee during breakfast hours, burgers and barbecue at lunchtime and dessert options during dinner hours. The food trucks will be around from 7 to 9 a.m. for breakfast, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch and 4 to 6 p.m. for dinner. Students are welcome to use dining dollars.
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