Starbucks, expanded Chick-fil-A, more campus restaurants planned for USC
USC students and faculty will find an expanded Chick-fil-A and three new restaurants in the Russell House as well as three more Starbucks on campus.
Those changes will be put in place during the next year as a new food service vendor takes over operation of campus dining, said Karen Cutler, spokeswoman for the new company, Aramark.
The transition starts Saturday as USC becomes the sixth campus in the Palmetto State served by the Philadelphia company.
Aramark will be paid $253.9 million to provide food service for the next 15 years, USC spokesman Jeff Stensland said.
The company was chosen to replace Sodexo after state officials reviewed bids. Sodexo had served the university since the 1980s.
Changes include:
▪ Chik-Fil-A’s small restaurant and the Horseshoe Deli in the Russell House will expand as part of renovations slated to start next summer.
▪ New Starbucks in the Thomas Cooper Library and Welsh Humanities Building next spring. A Starbucks is already located in the Russell House student center.
▪ Three new restaurants in the Russell House: Olilo, featuring Mediterranean cuisine; the Congaree River Smokehouse; and an unnamed all-you-can-eat spot.
▪ A third Starbucks and another restaurant along with a convenience store will open in the housing complex slated to be built on the south side of campus near Pickens and Heyward streets. The final phase of the project is expected to be finished by 2023.
Aramark is advertising for 31 new staff members online. It is not clear if those are replacements or additions, although company officials said many Sodexo employees will be retained.
Overall, the company will employ 540, with some positions available for students, Cutler said.
Aramark creates its menus after talking to students about their preferences and after considering nutritional requirements, she said.
That has led to more vegetarian and seafood dishes with international flavors, often using food raised locally, she said.
This story was originally published June 30, 2017 at 5:39 PM with the headline "Starbucks, expanded Chick-fil-A, more campus restaurants planned for USC."