Pistachio's changes menu

Long considered by students as the mysterious eatery on the second floor of the Student Union, Pistachio's has changed its menu this semester in an attempt to become as familiar to students as Putnam's and draw more hungry customers.

Pistachio's has recently updated its look to accommodate the needs of students, said Jeff Brady, assistant food director for campus dining. Brady touted the menu for what he said is its great variety and an excellent price value.

"We feel it's a great menu," Brady said.

Mary Jo Butler, assistant manager of Pistachio's, said the new menu consists of carved meats, homemade soups, and upscale breads. The Greek food line was dropped, and the Italian foods were picked up.

"The Italian foods are the comfort foods," Butler said.

Shawna Matthews, a first year graduate student, said she was pleased with the new menu, as well as the overall dining atmosphere.

"When I come here it feels like I am at a nice restaurant," she said.

New to the menu is also a special $5.99 plate, which includes a selection of one of three entrees, soup or salad, and one side as well as fresh bread. Students can also get their food a la carte.

"Students feel you get a ton of food for $5.99 and they walk away happy," Brady said. "We looked to find which foods were popular, and now we have to change the menu all the time to keep up with the changes."

Some students suggested the $5.99 special has room for improvement.

"The only thing I would suggest would be larger portions," said Robert Tarnay, a senior civil engineering major.

For vegetarians, Pistachio's also added new alternative options.

"One of the things we learned from our customer surveys is that there were a large quantity of vegetarians and people really looking for healthier foods," Butler said. "When we built this menu we took that all into consideration and vegetarians now have two different options everyday."

The recent addition of the buffet-style salad bar has proven to be very popular, Pistachio's employees said. Allowing students to come in and make a salad is not only a healthy option, but a quick meal as well.

"Speed of service is so important and we have to adhere to student's schedules," Brady said.

Brady added there has been a positive response from students.

"They like to see the fresh homemade food and they get a full balanced meal for a great price," he said. "Our objective would be to get the word out to more students, however, the students who know about us are here everyday and wait in line for us to open."

Matthews said although the regulars wait in line for Pistachio's to open, the eatery is kind of like an unknown treasure by the majority of the student body.

"I think a lot of students don't know about this place," Matthews said.

For Brady, however, he is pleased with the steady business, and grateful for no overcrowding problems.

"We are happy with business and we are glad we weren't overwhelmed last week because that was the time to get out all the kinks in the menu," Brady said.

Brady also said Pistachio's is toying with the idea of opening for evening hours in addition to their current hours of 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., but said nothing has been finalized.