Campus Dining will offer six new dining venues in the Vista Grande Dining Complex, set to open March 2020, as announced at a Cal Poly Corporation meeting Oct. 25.
Students will find six dining venues unique to Cal Poly on the second story, including Balance Café, Hearth, Streets, Noodles, Brunch and a dessert location, according to Cal Poly Corporation Communications Specialist Aaron Lambert.
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Vista Grande will feature six new dining venues and an outdoor lounge. Courtesy | Campus Dining
Noodles will offer a noodle salad, noodle stir fry, teriyaki chicken with noodles on the side and other noodle dishes, according to Executive Chef Rensford Abrigo.
Hearth will serve pizza, pasta and sandwiches cooked in their two stone-fire ovens, according to Lambert.
Balance Café will be Cal Poly’s allergen-free restaurant. The restaurant will also include kosher and halal options. The cafe will have its own kitchen to avoid cross contamination, Abrigo said.
Streets will feature an alternating menu of foods from different countries, according to Lambert.
“One of our favorite things about Streets is we’re going to tell the story of where you’re getting that dish when you go to Streets,” Abrigo said. “Last week we did a lot of al pastor, so picture yourself in Mexico. You’re going to see that vertical spit with the meat roasting on the spit, we’re going to be able to slice it off the spit for you and make you a taco if you’d like.”
An additional Jamba Juice location — the only franchise to be included in Vista Grande — will be added to the first floor of the building. There will also be a new convenience store and a grab-and-go deli.
The building will feature dining spaces, study areas and outdoor seating. Assistant Dining Director Greg Yeo said the design is meant to make the dining complex more welcoming for students to eat and study there.
“Not only [is Vista Grande] a dining venue, we really want to make that space a study space, a living space so those first year students can really feel like they’re at home,” Yeo said.
The outdoor deck will include fireplaces and lounge seating, according to Cal Poly Corporation Counsel and Director of Facilities Will Marchese.
Unlike at 805 Kitchen, outlets will be available throughout the building to provide students more comfortable access to their devices, Marchese said.
“All the different platforms are going to be really fun, really energetic, and again, a destination where you can go get something you would want to eat,” Abrigo said.
Originally, Vista Grande was set to open in 2019, but permit and design challenges delayed construction. Cal Poly also encountered problems coordinating mechanics, electricity and plumbing inside the complex, which set the project back even further, Marchese said.