Three new food services opened for students this fall on Linfield’s McMinnville campus. It comes as an attempt by Sodexo, the food provider for Linfield University, to expand meal offerings for students and especially those who may struggle with getting meals at Dillin Dining Hall during the standard meal times.
The three new offerings include Subhub, a sandwich shop that offers 6-inch and 12-inch sandwiches after 8 p.m. Another is Mack’s MarCat, a “micro-market” that is fully self-serviced and offers beverages, drinks and snacks, much like self-serve airport markets. Finally, there’s Smart Bistro, a vending machine in Riley that serves cooked-to-order hot food like calzones and sausage rolls.
The Subhub is open from 8-11 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Students order on the Everyday app and can pay with either flex dollars or a credit card. They will then pick up their sandwich from the window on Dillins east side, the side facing the HHPA building.
Mack’s MarCat is a 24/7 self-serve market where students can use either flex dollars or a credit card to pay for as well. Students can get in anytime with their student ID. Much like a self-serve shop at an airport, products are on shelves or in coolers along the walls. The market offers items like chips, energy drinks, soda, microwavable food, and other snacks. To prevent theft, cameras have all corners of the store watched, and the self-checkout station records each purchase. The market is located on the west side of Dillin where the Northwest Dining Room used to be.
The Smart Bistro is located inside Riley by Starbucks, and offers many different hot dishes like calzones, whitcastle sliders, mac and cheese and more. Students can access Smart Bistro whenever Riley Hall is open. Together, these three new food services are meant to expand meal access for students, especially after normal hours in Dillin Hall.
Sophomore David Stephens said that Subhub was “better than I expected. I would pay ten dollars again for that sandwich.”
The common sentiment for the new offerings, especially Subhub and Smart Bistro, was that the food was better than expected. While things have had some technical difficulties along the way, for instance Mack’s Marcat not taking flex bucks for a few days at the start of the semester, now many students are very happy with what’s being provided.
My personal experience with the two has been mostly positive. The Marcat is in a really convenient place to swing by and grab a soda, Gatorade or energy drink between classes. The Smart Bistro has been a nice way to grab some hot food outside of Dillins normal business hours. The food and drink at Mack’s Marcat vary wildly in prices, however, with some sandwiches costing $9 to $10 and drinks anywhere from $2.50 to $5.
Smart Bistro’s food tends to be in the $5 to $10 range, and the food comes out hot and ready to go within two minutes. It offers calzones, pot stickers, sliders, pasta, and cinnamon rolls. The food itself is quite good, with it coming out as if it had come right out of the oven.
While the food selection process is a bit clunky (you need to order each item individually), the food itself comes out incredibly fast for such a complex and advanced feature. For those studying in Riley or on the north side of campus, Smart Bistro is conveniently located and will be great for longer study nights, especially for those that are located within the academic quad.
Overall, the new food offerings are an attempt to broaden student options and add a greater ability to get food after hours, and the quality has caused students to give a warm reception. It gives students something to spend their flex bucks on other than Starbucks.
