A Delight to the Eyes and Palate

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 26, 2011) -- Pleasing the palates of University of Kentucky students is the over-arching goal of Dining Services, and over the summer several eateries were renovated, in décor and menu.

By far the most dramatic renovation took place in K-Lair Grill, a favorite campus haunt for 50 years. The $40,000 renovation included new wooden flooring, a complete paint job in contemporary colors, brighter lighting, pleasing artwork, new countertops, easy-to-read menu boards, inviting tables and chairs, a brighter logo and, perhaps most importantly, a lighter menu that features updated salads, fresh vegetables, chicken sandwiches and turkey burgers.

“Students can come to our restaurants and socialize with their friends, they can make new friends, and they can work on their homework. We want our restaurants to be a destination, a place to be besides the residence hall or library. We do what we can to make all our locations inviting for our campus community, students and employees,” said Scott Henry, executive director of Dining Services

But dining locations aren’t there to please only the eye, they accommodate the cultural and nutritional needs of the individual.

For example, the menu at Fusion in centrally located Erikson Hall features a wide variety of international dishes, and Ovid’s Café sports a new Mexican fiesta bar. Attention is also given to assuring customers have healthy, nutritious options.

At 23 locations daily serving 17,000 customers, some of whom have significant and unique dietary restrictions due to specific health concerns, Scott Kohn, UK’s executive chef, and his staff can serve up 8,000 to 10,000 recipes.

“We are a very diverse campus. We have a lot of cultures on this campus, so we try to make sure that within our dining halls we have plenty of international dishes,” said Kohn. “We try to have a healthy menu and yet something that the students like, and as a result we can offer a huge array of tasty dishes.

‘We have to stay on the cutting edge, we have to stay on top of things and make sure that we are serving the highest quality and the best food possible" in people-pleasing locations, said Kohn.

In addition to K-Lair, other eatery improvements include:

Blazer

• New floor for the private dining room

• New tables and chairs for the private dining room

Fusion (Erikson Hall)

• New floor

• New cabinetry

• Paint

• New menu

Ovid’s Café

• Additional Coke fountain

• New Mexican fiesta bar

• New paint

Kentucky Clinic Starbucks renovation

• New soft seating

• New bar area

• Coffee wall

Ag North

• New menu

• New logo

Convenience Stores renamed

• Quick Stop @Blazer

• Quick Stop @Commons

• Quick Stop @Student Center

Panda Express, fall hours

• Open 10 a.m. -- 9 p.m. Monday – Thursday

• Open 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Friday

• Open 4 p.m. – 8 p.m. Sunday