Students returning to Cal Poly this quarter will notice some drastic changes in stores around campus.
Both the University Store — formerly El Corral Bookstore — and Vista Grande Café got face-lifts, in response to requests from students and a desire to make the locations more friendly, Cal Poly Corporation marketing and public relations director Yukie Nishinaga said.
“We try to be really responsive to what the students are asking for,” Nishinaga said.
Name Game
One of the first changes to Cal Poly Corporation’s stores has been in the works since last year, when Nishinaga and interim director of the El Corral Bookstore Philip Davis announced a contest to find a new name for the store.
El Corral’s new identity was unveiled this quarter, as the University Store. The name helps make the store part of the Cal Poly brand instead of a separate El Corral brand, and reflects a national trend in shifting from textbooks to school-related wares, Davis said.
“Textbooks are still a focal point, but they’re becoming less and less,” Davis said.
The front half of the University Store was also remodeled over the summer, replacing many tall stands with lower display stands and removing walkways that formerly divided up the store, making it more open, Davis said.
Digital displays were also added throughout the store and in the window, to let students know about deals and new products. The store will be open until midnight Monday through Friday this week.
El Corral is still present inside the University Store for those attached to the name, though. Students and alumni will recognize the familiar brand in the El Corral Alumni Shop, on the left side of the store, which has been designed with vintage photos of El Corral for Cal Poly students young and old, Davis said.
“El Corral as a name has some value, so we didn’t want to retire it entirely,” Davis said.
Keep Calm and Courseware On
The courseware section of the University Store is the only area that didn’t receive a facelift over the summer. Nonetheless, students will see changes in courseware with new options for buying or renting books, Davis said.
Students can rent books online through the University Store’s website, or pick up any rentable book directly from the courseware section.
Cal Poly Corporation is also partnering with two eBook companies, Cengage and CourseSmart, to provide hundreds of textbooks for up to 60 percent off the physical book price, Davis said.
“We’ve done eBooks before, but it’s not been particularly successful,” Davis said.
Davis is more optimistic this time around, though, he said, because the University Store is also renting out iPads for $80 per quarter for students who would like to test out the device or use it for eBooks.
Students who want to keep their iPad after the quarter will also have the option to purchase or it or trade it in for a new one, Davis said.
Have Your Steak , and Noodles Too
Over at Vista Grande Café, students will find changes as well.
The dining location has been entirely redone, modeled after a food court to give students more options, Cal Poly Corporation associate executive director of commercial service Mike Thornton said.
The dining area was remodeled, with bar tables and larger tables for groups of friends, Thornton said.
The Campus Dining location now also features five different food windows, each with a different theme inspired by popular dining locations off campus, Thornton said.
“Each window we kind of went through and branded it as a style of food,” Thornton said.
These windows include Chop Stix, which was modeled after Panda Express, and ¡Caliente!, which was modeled after Chipotle Mexican Grill, Thornton said.
“We actually sent our chefs to Chipotle to see what it is they do,” Thornton said.
Menu choices also doubled since last year to give students more variety, Thornton said.
Campus Dining often heard from students that they grew tired of food options, and so the new Vista Grande Café was designed to keep students interested as long as possible, Thornton said.
“There’s just so many choices here for any person,” Thornton said. “You can’t come in in one week and try everything.”
And every choice was designed to appeal specifically to students, executive chef Chris Dunham said.
Dunham collaborated with other employees to craft the menu, adding new dishes and options he hoped would be popular.
“There’s a lot of variety that kids like,” Dunham said.