The University of Leicester Students’ Union has invested £200,000 in creating a ‘unique’ dining experience in time for Freshers’ Week.
The newly refurbished Union St. Food Market in the Students’ Union building was re-opened the same week as the University unveiled its refreshed logo and website, as part of its new Strategic Plan.
Weekly pop-up food stalls selling world cuisine, a bagel bar, 1950s pick-up truck-come-salad-bar, deli counter and Cornish pasty parlour are just some of the tantalising treats on offer to students to help them refuel.
A wall made up of vintage and modern music amps, dubbed Buskers’ Corner, gives students the chance to sing for their supper, quite literally, as those who book to play a slot between midday and 2pm are entitled to a free lunch.
Forget alcohol, the latest trend in beverages, Bubble Tea is also on the menu at Pearls outlet. The brightly coloured drink – which hails from 1980’s Taiwan – has been taking the UK by storm over the past few years and consists of tea, milk and chewy tapioca pearls.
On-trend food offer
Jason Snowdon, the Students’ Union’s Chief Commercial Officer who masterminded the renovation said: “Today’s students have a much higher expectation of the services and social spaces that support them during their time at university. The food offer for example needs to be on-trend and aspirational and fit within the ‘grazing’ culture that is so common place today.
“The large rise in street food is testament to this change in dining style and was very much my inspiration when creating the Union’s new food market. By bringing together a street food environment, which includes a pop-up station for local restauranteurs, with a ‘Benugo’ style grab and go, iconic design features, market-style seating and busker entertainment we can now offer our students a social space that is engaging and edgy.
“We have had fantastic feedback so far on the new food market from students and our first pop-up partner, Peking restaurant in Leicester, which is greatly enjoying being part of the university experience. Bringing local food businesses into the university is a key commercial goal of mine and the food market has allowed me the opportunity to kick start this initiative. I have no doubt that what we are doing at Leicester will be a catalyst for change in many other universities and student unions in the UK over the coming years, as the traditional cookie-cutter approach no longer fits within the current commercial landscape.”