Huntsman Hall will serve solutions for the hungry

As I have visited business schools across the country, I noticed one thing that nearly all of them have in common – they offer their students a place to get something to eat. The only exception was a business school that was right next door to the university’s student union where there were several places to get food. And the buildings were connected by a tunnel.

Ken Snyder

We discussed this with our student building committee. The students unanimously voiced their opinion that they want to see some sort of student café as part of the new building.

So Huntsman Hall will have, right next to the student commons area, a café. I have some ideas about what I’d like to see in that café that were sparked by what I observed at other business schools. The approach I’d like to see is all about offering variety and efficiency at the same time.

Imagine this: you walk in the door and immediately there is a counter where you can order a sandwich or something hot. One need not stand there waiting, however, because just beyond that would be a convenience store of sorts where you could buy fresh fruit, candy, yogurt, granola bars, drinks, ice cream and all matter of prepackaged foods. It would all be designed so you could go in, quickly pick out what you want, and then head to the cash registers to get checked out. And yes, I did say cash registers, plural. The basic idea is that there would be offerings for those craving a more substantive sandwich and there would be a wide variety of food available for those on the run. Think of it as a convenience store and a Panini café all rolled into one.

This café will be about 1,400-square-feet. It will be next to the student commons area so that teams of students who wanted to meet together and grab a bite to eat could do so. The café can double as a student team meeting area. Our students say they really hate leaving the business building to try to find some food somewhere else on campus. Our new café should not only provide them with a source of food, but also satisfy some of the need for team meeting space as well.

- Ken Snyder

- Ken Snyder