The last day before the start of fall break, a group of seniors jokingly dressed in all black as a way of mourning the end of the Graduate Center deli as they knew it.
Many other students at Oral Roberts University did not realize that the deli would be closing at the end of the business day Oct. 4, not just for renovations but for the installment of a new Panera Bread.
One of the most heavily trafficked areas in the GC, the deli often did not have a single free table in the mornings.
“The university is very excited about upgrading to a Panera that will offer students a variety of delicious food options to enjoy, flexible and efficient ordering options, and an updated beautiful space,” said Emily Mays, the director of construction for ORU.
Along with the full Panera menu, the location will offer new ways to order, and of course, more meal options, Mays said. The new Panera will have 104 seats compared to the old deli’s capacity of 72.
Other key renovation details will include “bar-height seating options, four kiosks at a self-checkout station, all new kitchen equipment including a Panera small box kitchen set up for space efficiency, new back-of-house dishwashing and staff setup, new artwork and a second new double-door entry location on the east side,” Mays said.
Following last school year’s installment of Cinnabon in place of Jazzman’s, students began speculating about other dining options on campus that could see potential renovations, specifically regarding Hava Java and Green Cuisine.
“Currently we are looking at all options for LRC 3,” Mays said, adding that ORU President William Wilson has “a great vision for the new David and Barbara Green Leadership Centre, and a potential change in those two formats is under discussion. At this time we have nothing definite, but it is in discussion.”
The construction on the deli will last until sometime in the upcoming spring semester. In the interim, many students who enjoyed breakfast in the deli will have to go elsewhere.
“We will be adding some of the deli menu options, and meal trades, to both Green Cuisine and Hava Java to help with customer needs,” Mays said.
Panera’s menu will not include gluten-free bread, like the old deli, but it will offer gluten-free menu items such as salads, said Traci Lacone, marketing director for ORU Campus Dining. The Panera might also create more employment opportunities on campus, she said.
“Student worker positions are a possibility,” Lacone said, “but we are not totally sure at this time.”
As the completion date for renovation remains undetermined, extra seating will be provided outside Hava Java on the third floor of the LRC.
Psychology senior Amiyah Zarazua was one of the students who mourned the loss of the deli.
“I was worried that the convenience of the deli would be taken away and that SAGA would continue to be overcrowded and inconvenient,” Zarazua said. “So the fact that we can still go in and easily grab something is great.”
