Food options are changing all over Saint Louis University’s
campus this coming year, but students will not only see new food
options on campus this fall, but will also lose the option of
eating at DeMattias cafeteria. The facility’s kitchens will instead
be used by the Campus Kitchen program, which provides meals for
indigent people throughout St. Louis.

Vice President of Student Development Kathy Humphrey said that
the average number of meals purchased in the DeMattias during the
past year indicated that the facility should be closed.

“I’ve got a whole staff of people cooking food for 150 people
every day,” Humphrey said.

When asked if students had been informed of this change Humphrey
said, “I don’t know if we’ve sent anything out yet, but we
will.”

The members of SLU Campus Kitchen are enthusiastic about this
change. “With all of this equipment and space, we have a tremendous
opportunity to increase the number of meals that we produce,” said
Radha M. Duggal, the program’s supervisor.

Students who would normally frequent DeMattias cafeteria will
have extensive options in the new Busch Student Center, points out
Fred Wencel, general manager of dining services. He said that the
Billiken Club, for example, will be open until 3 a.m. But for some
students, these options may seem too far from their spot on
campus.

“I know that it’s going to make some students unhappy, but look
at what my usage numbers are,” Humphrey said. She also added that
she was “pretty sure there will ‘grab-and-go” options in the space
for breakfast.”

Wencel said that, typically, DeMattias was serving 300 meals a
day last semester, as opposed to the 1,700 that were served on
average in the Griesedieck cafeteria.

Campus Kitchen is already using their new facilities over the
summer for their Culinary Job Training program.

The students are set to graduate next week, and Wencel said that
he is hoping to hire the students to work in the BSC.