Thousands of students will not be the only ones returning to the University of Houston this fall.
After a seven-year hiatus as UH’s food-service vendor, Aramark Corp. comes back to campus, bringing a new menu of dining options.

“We are excited about the new eateries and concepts Aramark has proposed for the campus,” said Ann Lamar, director of auxiliary services.

Aramark plans to offer a mix of different cafes and restaurants, including an Einstein Bros. bagel shop, which will be located in Philip G. Hoffman Hall’s lobby and a casual dining restaurants in the Arbor level of the University Center.

A Subway and Capeesh, an Italian fast-food restaurant, will join Wendy’s and Chick-fil-A in the University Center (UC), according to Lamar.

Little Kim Son, formerly located in Moody Towers, and Smoothie King, formerly housed in the UC, will move to the UC Satellite. New to the UC Satellite will be Cranberry Farms, a restaurant that services home-style food that is cooked in front of the customers. Most of the restaurants are expected to be open by the start of the fall semester, Lamar said.

The residential halls will offer all-you-can-eat dinning areas and their meal plans will be expanded. The UC, UC Satellite, Oberholtzer and Moody Towers residence halls will undergo renovations to accommodate the new restaurants and dining areas. Work is scheduled to be completed in all of these buildings, with the exception of Moody Towers, by the fall semester.

Administrators awarded Aramark the contract based on the recommendation of the UH System Food Service Selection Advisory Committee, according to Lamar, who served as the committee chair.

“It was a hard decision to make, but we came to the realization that Aramark was just a step above its competitors,” Lamar said.

Aramark also will provide food services to UH-Clear Lake and UH-Downtown.

Francine Parker
fparker@central.uh.edu