After several on-campus restaurant closings within the last year, students have been left with less options and wondering what will be brought in next.

JJ’s Red Hots, a New York style hot dog joint that was located in the Breezeway food court, shut down after just two semesters. At Parliament Hall, Red Mango closed after dishing out frozen yogurt below the dorm rooms from fall 2013 to spring 2015. Simply Puur, also located in Parliament, closed in the fall of 2014.

But students aren’t showing disappointment over the closings of these two food services brought in by Chartwells, the company that manages Florida Atlantic’s  on-campus fast food eateries and dining halls.

“I think it’s good FAU is getting rid of both, JJ’s Red Hots because hot dogs with fries were like $10 so it was pointless,” said Justin Maisel, a sophomore majoring in Biological Sciences.

There is anticipation and speculation about what students and faculty can expect to replace these food stands in the future. David Ferreira, a sophomore majoring in computer science, said, “I’d like to see them replace JJ’s Red Hots with a Moe’s in the food court. It’s the one thing the campus lacks.”

Shut down alongside Red Mango was Simply Puur, a dining service opened in fall 2013 that provided a variety of options to choose from. A year later, the joint was closed “due to its location,” according to a tweet sent out from the FAU Dining Services Twitter account.

“I don’t think I’ve ever walked [into] Chick Fil A and not seen a good line and people there. Whereas both Red Mango and Simply Puur, it seemed as if there weren’t a whole lot of people patronizing. They weren’t doing as well,” said Dr. Charles Dukes, the Faculty in Residence for Parliament Hall and also a Doctoral Coordinator. “I remember maybe a burger and chips being about $11 at Simply Puur and buying frozen yogurt by the pound at Red Mango is expensive anyway.”

Dukes added, “Students also like to eat late, so the fact that it wasn’t open later in the night could have played a factor in the not so well business. I hope that whatever Chartwells does in the future to possibly replace those two closing services, I hope they’re able to get a lot of student feedback on what they would want.”

The ideal dining service that Dukes mentioned would be affordable to students, accessible at hours convenient to students and promote the area, due to it being in an isolated area away from the food court.

However, the FAU community will no longer have wait to hear what will be added to campus dining as Chartwells will be replacing JJ’s Red Hots with Blendz Café this upcoming semester.

Blendz Café – an entity of Juiceblendz – will be a dining service where students and faculty can “Build Your Own Salad,” choose from a wide selection of soups (including bread bowls) or pick up sandwiches and wraps that are completed with Boar’s Head premium deli meats.

Sean P. Armstrong, a marketing manager for FAU dining services, explained, “After extensive research and surveying over 200 students, we learned and understood that our campus is unanimously seeking better for you, lighter options. Many students have expressed their satisfaction with our numerous national and proprietary retail venues; however, we have identified a need by students for more ‘green’ and less processed options.”

The process to decide what should replace the dining areas includes brand representatives conducting brand site surveys to ensure that both their company and FAU can have an ideal relationship. This covers everything from financial to operational support. Then, marketing research will be conducted to ensure that students and faculty will positively receive the brand on campus.

Armstrong also announced that students can expect the Burrow Bar & Grill’s to offer a nightly delivery program in the upcoming semester. The Burrow will deliver directly to their residence hall lobby from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. They will accept all funds from cash and credit to Flex Bucks and Owl Bucks. The Burrow Bar & Grill will also be extending their hours to close at midnight this fall semester.

Check back to upressonline.com for updates.

Erin Martin is a Contributing Writer for the University Press. If you would like to contact her regarding this or other articles, email her at [email protected].