The new contract will be effective May 7, when planned renovations and additions will begin.

With Tiger Dining’s new contract with Aramark, a food service company based in Philidelphia, Tiger Dining plans to shake up the current dining experience over the next year.

A revamp of dining plans, updated facilities, a Steak ‘n Shake in the Student Center and more are on the horizon for Tiger Dining.

Glenn Loughridge, director of campus dining, said the new additions were inspired directly by the Dining Task Force presentation that began under former Student Government President Jessie Westerhouse’s term and concluded during former SGA President Jacqueline Keck’s term.

The Student Center’s flagship Chick-fil-A will stay in its current location, Loughridge said.

The biggest addition will be a new Steak ‘n Shake in the place of Papa John’s on the second floor of the Student Center.

Two healthier options will be coming to the Student Center, too. Salad Works will offer made-to-order salads, wraps and sandwiches. Cat Cora, a Food Network “Iron Chef,” has partnered with Aramark to create a Mediterranean-style restaurant called Wicked Eats.

Most of the renovations in the Student Center will begin this summer along with renovations to Foy Dining.

Foy will be renovated into a dining hall, where students will find similar options to what is there now, in addition to food stands for those with allergies, special diets and health restrictions. There will be a station dedicated to vegans and vegetarians that will also serve those on the Whole 30 diet.

In spring 2020, a brand new dining hall incorporated into a rebuild of Parker and Allison halls. The dining hall will offer 800 seats and a space that will house an Au Bon Pain. Along with ABP, Starbucks will be upgraded and relocated to a bigger space in the new building.

“We will have a true coffee shop where you can walk in, hang out, and we think it will be a great space for students,” Loughridge said. “We think it is really needed.”

Panda Express will not be leaving campus but will eventually move to the new facility, too.

The Village will also be renovated into a dining hall, and Loughridge said the Dining team is working toward having a second campus Chick-fil-A location where the 844 Burger location is currently. Plans for the addition are still up in the air, but hopes are high.

All of the convenience stores will be getting a reboot and will resemble a market — rather than an actual convenience store — with more fresh items to choose from.

As for the mixup with Panera in the library, Loughridge said the project is finally on its way to completion.

“Panera has been tough,” Loughridge said. “I call it ‘Project Infinity,’ and people tease me about it, and I don’t blame them.”

He said work on Panera will begin when the Aramark contract begins in May. Panera will be on campus before students return for the fall semester. Prevail Union coffee will be moving to Foy.

There are new food venues planned for the Graduate Business Building and Engineering Success Center, both of which are under construction.

The dining plans

Beginning in the fall, there will be seven new dining plans available to students including some plans with meal swipes and others with a declining balance similar to the current plans required for students.

The declining-balance plans allow students to use Tiger Card money just like cash at any Campus Dining location.

Loughridge said Tiger Dining will be raising the cost and value for the two default declining-balance plans for the first time in 10 years.

The off-campus plan will be $350, up from $300, and $1,100 for on-campus, up from $995. These two plans will be the defaults for undergraduate students starting in the fall.

Students will have the choice of opting into five other new color-coded meal plans starting in the fall, which will include meal swipes plus a declining balance.

Students will have a certain number of meal swipes in the color-coded plans, which can be used at dining halls on campus including Village Dining and Foy Dining. A range of declining balances will be coupled with the meal swipes.

The color-coded plans will be totally optional.

“No one is required to upgrade into these plans,” Loughridge said. “That was something we very clearly heard from students. They didn’t hate the system, they just wanted more choices. That’s what we have built in.”

Loughridge said the larger plans will help students who attend the University through grants, financial aid or scholarships.

Since some scholarships will only pay for initial costs, rather than allowing a student to go back in and add more funds, the larger packages will help students eat on campus all semester long.

The bigger plans will also be good for students who have excess scholarship and financial aid money.

Loughridge said the team is looking into a boxed meal service for students who live off campus. Similar to paid-subscription food services, students would pick up a box of pre-measured ingredients to throw together at home with the help of the instructions in the box.

Loughridge believes this service will bridge the gap between living on campus and living off campus. The plans are still in the works, but he is hopeful.

For those who will stick to eating on campus in the next year, Loughridge said they are currently on the hunt for a vendor for the online ordering system that will allow students to bypass lines and pick up food quickly.

There will be changes to the packaging in which students carry their meals, as well.

Currently running through a pilot program, Loughridge said, dining is testing out reusable, sustainable containers. The lime green, plastic dishes come with a lid and clip shut and can be returned at the next visit to be washed.

Loughridge said this initiative and the expanding partnership with the Auburn Agriculture, Fisheries and Meat Lab fall in line with University President Steven Leath’s commitment to sustainability.