Renovations to the Russell House University Union by Carolina Food Co. brought big changes to the decades-old student union over the summer months. But with students back on campus for the fall semester eager for a quick bite to eat between classes, some students say they're facing substantially longer lines compared to previous years.
“Despite how much more open it is, it seems the lines increased with the space,” said third-year English student Jonathan Smith.
The Russell House underwent a substantial remodel in which some restaurants were removed, others were added and more received a makeover. The consequences of these different choices and new modes of operation have, in the minds of students like Smith, caused a substantial increase in wait time.
Chick-Fil-A, which shifted from an express model to a full-service model as part of the renovations, is a prime example of this, according to second-year civil engineering student Hampton Mciver.
“I could’ve called that the Chick-Fil-A line would have been so long,” he said. “Whenever I heard that it was going to be switched from the quick service to the full service, I’m like 'it’s going to take forever now,' because there’s so many people.”
Carolina Food Co. says they recognize the long lines in the Russell House and are working to fix the problem.
"There have been long lines and slower than anticipated service," said Carolina Food Co. Marketing Director Faren Alston. "We do apologize for any inconvenience that was caused while we diligently increase our staffing and speed of service."
To help the lines, the Carolina Food Co. has opened up pop-up salad restaurants to help alleviate lines, and they say they are continuing to hire people to meet demands. They are also in the process of creating an express lane.
"We will continue to stay focused on our speed of service to ensure the lines are not an ongoing issue," Alston said. "We sincerely appreciate the patience and understanding we received from the campus community as we work to provide the best dining experience possible."
Smith says he's found efficient routes through the lines, but his experiences still made a negative impression.
“Worst time, the pizza joint upstairs it took me about 20 minutes to get through the line and another 10 to 15 to get food,” Smith said.
New students like first-year civil engineering and finance student Catherine Eckersley, who don’t have experience with the previous layout of Russell, have also been surprised by the wait times.
“The lines are super, super long,” said first-year civil engineering and finance student Catherine Eckersley. “You can’t really come at prime time, otherwise you’re waiting here for ages.”
For others, the loss of their favorite restaurants such as Taco Bell was a harder blow.
“I could pay a dollar and I could get some food,” said third-year biological sciences student Bryan Duke. “Now everything is six or seven dollars now, so that starts to eat away at my bank.”
Still, Duke says he's found options for avoiding the issue of long lines.
"Use Tapingo 'cause that'll help cut the line quick," he said.
Students like third-year computer engineering student Joseph Basile remain optimistic that the issues will decrease as the semester progresses.
“There’s definitely less places in here than there was before, but I do think it’s kinda like the beginning of the year rush,” he said. “I think give it a few weeks, maybe a month or so, it’ll die down a bit.”