Every day, packs of hungry students are on the prowl for the best bite on campus.
Yen Yu, a master’s student in engineering, said the food trucks parked outside the Marriott Library at lunch time are where it’s at.
“I like that I don’t have to drive downtown to get some of my favorite foods,” Yu said. “It is nice to have more selection and a full meal outside instead of going through a crowded space like the Union when I am in a hurry.”
His favorite truck is Café Trang, which serves Asian cuisine and has brick-and-mortar locations in Salt Lake City, Draper and Murray.
Kelly Roberts, a freshman in business, said the noodles at Café Trang are better than Panda Express. But the best part of the food trucks for her is the convenience.
“I have maybe 15 minutes between my classes, if I want to grab lunch,” Roberts said. “Thankfully for me, my classes are right in OSH, so I can just walk down the steps to Library Plaza and choose to have maybe doughnuts and some noodles, or maybe I am in the mood for curry.”
Yu often works late and wishes there were more food options on campus at night.
“I have wanted to get some food at 8 p.m., and the Union is no longer serving,” he said. “That means I must either walk to the library and visit Mom’s Café or pack [food] of my own.”
But Rebecca Dixon, an undeclared sophomore, isn’t fond of the Heritage Center, where students can grab a bite to eat until 10 p.m.
“I hated the stupid forced meal plan. It was nice that I could use my UCard to pay for food and stuff, but everything on campus is so expensive,” she said. “I would have liked to be able to use my card at other places in Salt Lake like Cafe Rio or something.”
Dixon said she had to make due with the tater tots offered at the Heritage Center.
“That was the food staple of my freshman year,” she said.
All of the U’s dining locations can be found online at www.dineoncampus.com/utah.
@ArevaloStefani