Western South Dakota News

Black Hills State University students are enjoying new upgrades to their dining services for the Spring 2023 semester. Renovated facilities include the recently relocated Einstein Bros. Bagels in the E.Y. Berry Library-Learning Center, a new U-Cook station in The Hive cafeteria, and the Union Coffee shop which offers Starbucks Coffee through the

 “We Proudly Serve Starbucks” program.  “We’re really excited to be able to provide students with more dining options,” said Debbie Liddick, assistant director of facilities and sustainability. “These new services allow students a choice in their dining, socializing, studying, and where they hang out. And it’s not just the students who benefit, but our staff and the community as well.” 

 In the renovated E.Y. Berry Library, Einstein Bros. Bagels is finally in its permanent spot and back open for business as of Jan. 23, since closing at the end of the Fall 2022 semester. The space includes expanded café seating, a custom mural, and a patio area that can be used for outdoor seating when the weather allows. The kitchen has newly updated cabinetry, a Coke freestyle machine to expand beverage options and reduce plastic bottle waste, and a new service layout to help improve customer service efficiencies. 

  The U-Cook Station is a new section of The Hive food offerings. Included with a meal purchase, this station allows students and patrons to cook their own meals. The station includes a variety of ingredients such as veggies, pasta, proteins, spices and sauces. Patrons can grab a skillet, load it up with their favorite ingredients, add additional sauces, and then use one of the six available electric burners to create their custom dish. The idea is that this provides both hands-on cooking experience and meal customizations. An on-staff chef is available to offer cooking tips, recipe ideas, and help if needed to inspire and build confidence when creating dishes. This station provides versatility as it can cater to dietary needs, eliminating possible allergens from food.  

 Plans to offer cooking workshops at the U-Cook station are already in the works and hope to be offered this spring.  Union Coffee has a variety of Starbucks-crafted drink, pastry, and food items and is inside the Student Union where Einstein Bros. Bagels had been stationed during the library remodel. The entire coffee shop was updated by Sodexo and Facilities Services over the winter break for it to be ready for students when the new semester arrived. 

 "Construction started the day school got out in December,” said Mike Overby, assistant director of facilities. “Plans for this had been in the works for probably six months, since Sodexo took over our dining facilities in July. That was also when they started planning the U-Cook Station.”  

The hours for Union Coffee are Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 pm. Einstein Bros. Bagels is open Monday - Thursday, 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. and Friday from 7:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. For more information about BHSU Dining Services and for full hours of The Hive, visit BHSU.edu/Dining. 

Original source can be found here.