Loyola Dining Services promises healthier food options and more variety with the renovation of the Danna Student Center’s food court area.

Po-boy and hamburger shop Flambeaux’s Grill is no longer a food option in the Danna Student Center this year. Instead, several new food eateries take its place, including a Subway sandwich shop.

Cissy Petty, vice president for student affairs and associate provost, said that the results of a survey that students, faculty and staff completed in spring 2013 helped to determine the new dining options and add to the Uptown Campus Dining experience.

“It was time for a refresh of the Flambeaux area,” Petty said.

Heather Bacque, Sodexo general manager, said in addition to the three new food options available, the two other remaining spaces have been renovated in some way. The gift shop adjacent to Flambeaux’s is no longer there, providing more room for the five eateries.

The Subway sandwich shop offers the same menu as other national locations, along with various specials.

There is now a sweet shop that features all in-house pastries, and the food court also contains a new burger restaurant called Original Burger Company, or OBC. This Sodexo eatery serves up fresh ground beef and vegetarian patties, made in-house.

Robert Reed, assistant vice president for student affairs, said the main goals with planning the food court were to bring in a major brand, have a grill option, create more space for Smoothie King and bring AFC Southern Tsunami upstairs from the Satchmo’s basement area.

The Sweet Shop was added to the plans later, with the idea that it could bring excitement into the area, according to Reed.

Bar seating is one feature added to the AFC Southern Tsunami Sushi, where students can now sit and watch the sushi preparation. Two soda machines are now at both ends of the food court, with over 120 flavor combinations of Coca-Cola products.

“It has a very modern look that students will gravitate toward,” Ronald Guillory, Sodexo resident district manager, said.

Guillory said these new options strengthen the unique relationship between Loyola University New Orleans and Tulane University. The relationship that allows the two universities to use each other’s dining facilities is one of a kind in the nation, according to Guillory. He said that this also creates an even balance for food options between both campuses. All eateries will accept Wolf Bucks and Wavebucks.

Blair Daspit, graphic design senior, said she is not happy to see Flambeaux’s go. Daspit said she does not agree that Loyola needs a Subway when Quizno’s is at Tulane’s Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life.

“Flambeaux’s was a classic grill,” Daspit said. “But I think that if Sodexo and Loyola wanted to go on the healthy route to compete with other colleges, it makes sense.”

Philip Kane, English writing sophomore, said he is glad to see Flambeaux’s go because “it was unhealthy and lacked selection.”

“The food at Subway is better,” he said. “It gives you a better variety and really classes up the place.”

The food court is phase one of a three-year plan that will bring change to many food options at Loyola and Tulane. Construction for this phase began last month on July 8, and opened on Aug. 24.

Lauren Cutuli can be reached at [email protected]

A student makes her selection at one of the new fountain drink machines in the Danna Student Center. The two soda machines located at each end of the food court serve over 120 flavor combinations of Coca-Cola products. (SARA FELDMAN/ Senior Staff Photographer)