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UTRGV Dining Services will introduce additional food options, increasing access throughout the Brownsville campus, including grab-and-go stations and rotating menu options.
“It’s going to be what they call a station takeover, and [Dining Services will] be offering Vaquero Subs, where they will offer different sandwiches and things of that nature,” said Roberto Cantu, executive director of Auxiliary Business Services at UTRGV.
Luis Guzman, lead of the Chartswell dining team at UTRGV, told The Rider one of the modifications is that Southern Rose Café, located inside the Student Union El Comedor, will have a pop-up cart in the Music, Science and Learning Center as it did previously in December.
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According to Guzman, the results of the reception within students of the pop-up could possibly lead to more opportunities to bring back the coffee cart to that side of campus.
“A lot of students don’t really make it north of the resaca; it’s high likelihood that you won’t make it all the way over there,” Cantu explained.
Avril Godoy, a studio art sophomore, said this comes in handy as food options should not be limited to a specific area, adding having options is important for a nutritious lifestyle. Godoy said more vegetables and healthy food could be a good addition to the menus, “not just packaged processed food.”
Cantu added Dining Services will also expand grab-and-go options through the Vaquero To-Go program.
“So, the [Interdisciplinary Academic Building], they will have a Costa [Coffee] machine and a reach-in cooler,” he said. “Students swipe their ID, and they can open it up and reach and grab whatever the Vaquero To-Go program offerings they have there.”
Karla Hernandez/THE RIDER
The executive director explained the changes are part of a larger initiative to guarantee that students, especially those whose schedules limit them to one area on campus, have access to healthy meals across campus.
According to Cantu, they are in early stage plans for a possible expansion inside the Market in the University Library on the Brownsville campus.
“We’re not sure if it’s going to be a café or a Vaquero Subs,” he said. “Those might be the options that we are looking at and, hopefully, we’ll be able to get all of the construction in line and be able to have that open in the fall of 2026.”
The executive director added they will look at different retail concepts with architects that might best serve Brownsville students.
For more information on dining services, visit the Campus Auxiliary Services website.
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