Positives and Negatives for awaited Panda Express

Oct 28 2009 - 11:16pm | Ammie Jimenez

One of the main appeals of Jones food court is their hours of operation.

Staying open until midnight is a great plus when a late-night craving hits or study sessions run late. The long awaited Panda Express opened at Jones Dining Hall Monday. From the time it opened to the time it closed, the line was long and steady. An extra register had to be opened to accommodate the sheer number of students ready for hot Chinese food.

I knew Panda Express would be quite popular, but I never imagined the amount of people that would be willing to wait in a long line for a taste of something different from one of the school’s cafeterias. I did not personally get a chance to try their food during their opening day, but it all smelled delicious.

Not only do they have several tasty vegetarian options, they offer meal trades the entire time they are open. For a popular restaurant to not have the time restrictions of having to wait until 1:00 p.m. for meal trades is a wonderful change. The portions with the meal trades are pretty generous too.

Elisa Cisneros, a Chartwells employee that works at Jones, said there has been much anticipation from students.

“We were constantly asked when it was going to open for the past month, so I’m happy for it to open,” said Cisneros, marketing sophomore.

It is no surprise that on the day of its scheduled opening, students were lining up eagerly waiting.

There is one downside to Panda Express, however.

“The only bad thing about Panda is there are only three meal trades so for those who are low or out of Paw Points, it might be a disappointment,” Cisneros said.

The meals trades include white rice and chicken, white rice and beef with broccoli and chow mein.

Three meal trades? Ouch.

In spite of the meal trade fiasco, the buzz about it has been pretty positive. Not only is it nice to have additional options for our meal trades, the fact that they added something different shows Chartwells is aware of their changing customer base. This is a great thing for a university with an expanding and diverse student body.

— Ammie Jimenez is an English junior

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