Over the winter break, The Cougar Den got a major face lift. Bright colors and smiling faces cover the new and improved cafe. With a brand new company taking over the cafe, the students and staff should be on high alert for future changes coming to the cafe. The General Manager of the cafe, Ms. Kara Day is the new face of the Cougar Den and she has loved her experience thus far.

While the students were away, some hard work was getting done in the den. 

The new individualized the stations were added to The Den more of a food court experience rather than the typical cafeteria feel. Although the visual changes were on top of the checklist for Day, she wanted to also improve the food service for our students.

“We also took feedback we received in the first semester on the menu selection and made culinary changes as well. For example at Ignite, our grill station, we will have Philly Cheesesteaks for lunch and dinner every Wednesday. We’ve also changed our Pasta Bakes at Trattoria to a Pasta Bar with a Marinara and Alfredo option which gives more options to our Vegan and Vegetarian population,” Day said.

The comments and suggestions from the students were the reason these changes happened. 

“Changes were made based on feedback from students, faculty and staff we received when we took over services from the previous provider,” Day said

These changes have been received positively throughout the school. The physical refresh and the improvement of the dining options has resulted in the rise in foot traffic in the cafe. The ignite station has been the most popular option in the cafe. The fresh burger option has seemed to take over students’ plates in the cafe. 

Johnathan Alston, a junior, has been really pleased with the improvements to the Den.

“The improvements to the cafe have been very beneficial for me. I do not eat beef or pork, so when i order from the ignite station, they always prepare my food specially made to my liking,” Alston said. 

Day suggested that the students should be on the lookout many more improvements to come. 

“We are adding menu screens to every station and bringing back the napkins to the tables but in a sanitary dispenser instead of the baskets that were previously on the tables.”