New Chick-fil-A, Panera headline 11 additions to USC's restaurant lineup

University of South Carolina students will have nearly a dozen new food choices when they return to classes in August.

The new restaurants — which include barbecue, sushi, ice cream, pizza, tacos, Asian cuisine, southern cooking and more — will be housed on the first and second floors of the Russell House student center, which is undergoing a $9.5 million renovation.

Aramark, which runs USC's dining through subsidiary Carolina Food Co., will pay the cost of the renovation, USC spokesman Jeff Stensland said in an email. The company decided on the 11 restaurants using surveys, focus groups and tastings, Aramark spokeswoman Faren Alston said in an email.

"The feedback that we received from the campus community was vital in determining how to best upgrade the options in the Russell House," Alston said.

Some of the new restaurants will be national chains, but others are local.

"We wanted to establish a balance between industry leading brands like Chick-fil-A and Panera Bread and localized brands, like Congaree River Smokehouse and Horseshoe Deli, to provide diverse menu offerings and a unique dining experience to the University of South Carolina," Alston said.

Some of the restaurants, such as Chick-fil-A, Horseshoe Deli and Southern Kitchen, were already in Russell House. After the renovation is complete, they will be in different parts of the building with expanded menus, Alston said.

With the exception of Einstein Bros. Bagels, none of the restaurants will be the same after the renovation, Alston said.

The 12 restaurants will accept credit cards, cash, meal plans and Carolina Ca$h, Alston said.

USC's student newspaper The Daily Gamecock, originally reported on the 12 restaurants.

Here is a list of the restaurants that will be in Russell House after the renovation:

• Panera Bread.
• Carolina Creamery.
• Pei Wei by P.F. Chang’s.
• Chick-fil-A.
• Congaree River Smokehouse.
• Olilo by Cat Cora.
• Einstein Bros. Bagels.
• Oath Pizza.
• Twisted Taco.
• Horseshoe Deli.
• Southern Kitchen.
• Sushi (brand being confirmed).

This story was originally published June 20, 2018 at 3:37 PM with the headline "New Chick-fil-A, Panera headline 11 additions to USC's restaurant lineup."