By Theodore Geigle
The Scene staff
Forest Park is bringing back its cafeteria after two years without one.
St. Louis Community College has contracted with a national catering company that is expected to begin operating in time for fall semester.
“There will be pizza and a grill, which means hamburgers, and sandwiches and even a salad bar,” said Rodney Jones, Forest Park auxiliary manager.
“They will begin the setting-up process as early as May and will be ready (to open) around August, but this could change.”
STLCC closed cafeterias on all of its campuses in the summer of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Forest Park bookstore, whose main location is on the Student Center’s first floor, took over the former cafeteria’s kitchen and serving space and converted it into a convenience store. It sells STLCC merchandise, chips, soda, prepacked food items, frozen pizza and other microwavable items.
Funeral services major Alexandra Schad says she feels great about the return. “Fresh food would be good for students who are being forced to eat crappy food because you don’t have the time to leave campus and go to places nearby,” she said.
The company hired to operate the cafeteria is New York-based American Dining Creations. It also will take over the college’s coffee machines.
Shelving and other equipment now in the convenience store will be put into storage to allow American Dining Creations to move in. The store will be closed this summer.
“The summer semester is pretty quiet, so I hope not too many students will be bothered,” Jones said.
Students shopping in the store on March 22 welcomed news about the cafeteria being resurrected.
“I think it would be very beneficial so that people don’t need to bring a lunch or buy from overpriced vending machines,” said Kim Kraft, student placement coordinator, who works in the Center for Nursing and Health Sciences.
“If they had a salad bar, I would definitely go there, and the exercise would be great (walking across campus).”
Kali Martin, a bookstore employee and general STEM student, won’t be around to take advantage of the new cafeteria because she’s graduating this spring.
“But I think it would be great for students,” she said. “I am excited to graduate, but I wish they had fresh food while I was attending.”
Jones expects the cafeteria to operate year-round, at least for the first year. In the future, it may close for the summer.
Beyond cafeteria management, a company called Akademos will soon be in charge of online textbook orders.
The main Forest Park bookstore location won’t sell books on site anymore.
“It will more so be an area for order pickup,” Jones said. “We’ll also have bag of chips and such.”
