Dining locations to open, reopen during fall semester

Two new dining locations – whose collective offerings include salads, soups and smoothies – are set to open later in the fall semester, along with the reopening of Einstein Bagels in Shafer Dining Court.

Au Bon Pain, a bakery and café chain originating in Boston, Massachusetts, will open at 944 W. Grace St. in November, said Director of Campus Services Stephen Barr. Shake Smart — a smoothie bar started by college students opening at universities across the country — will open by the end of September in the space once occupied by Market 810-2-Go in Shafer Dining Court.

Einstein Bros. Bagels, also located in Shafer Dining Court, will reopen after renovations  prior to the start of September, Barr said.

“After so many years, the franchise comes to us and lets us know we have to do a refresh of the location,” Barr said. “At the same time, Einstein’s popularity and the traffic that was there warranted us to do some expansion.”

New equipment and doing-away with the paper-ordering system will help the location serve guests faster, Barr said. Einstein’s will also serve Caribou brand coffee, a product introduced last semester which wasn’t fully integrated due to the upcoming renovation.

Students directly selected Au Bon Pain in a survey sent out by Dining Services, while the demand for a smoothie concept location was determined in a similar survey sent out mid-spring. Shake Smart — where dining-plan-holders will be able to swipe for different smoothie flavors — fit the bill. At Au Bon Pain, dining-plan-holders will be able to select from a “cross-section of offerings,” Barr said. The restaurant’s full menu includes sandwiches, soups, salads, baked goods and other items.

“We’re trying to run through all of those right now to make sure we do a good cross section and a good offering,” Barr said.

Georgia Geen, Managing Editor