Mason Dining brings new food options to campus

Mason will be bringing four new dining options to campus this year (photo courtesy of George Mason University).

If you think George Mason University is out of new dining ideas, think again. Mason is bringing four new additions to campus this year including Doug the Food Dude, Lemongrass, Cupcakes Actually and Manhattan Pizza.

Doug the Food Dude is one man with a truck and a lot of food. The menu consists of salads, wraps, sandwiches, sides and drinks. His truck will be stationed outside Starbucks from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

Mason Dining will also bring the Lemongrass food truck to campus. Lemongrass offers a Vietnamese menu and will post outside Shenandoah parking circle at night from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

Mark Kraner, the executive director of campus retail operations, said the food truck will provide commuter students with a more easily accessible dining option on their way from the parking lot to the classroom.

“We are providing a service because 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. we have a lot of students who come in just for the night classes, and they don’t go to the Johnson Center per say,” Kraner said. “[The food trucks will be] down by the school of management and the engineering building so when they are coming in from the parking lot, they walk past it, and they can grab something to eat.”

Cupcakes Actually is a local cupcake shop located in Fairfax Corner that will be selling their products on campus. The Freshen’s counter in the Johnson Center will sell their cupcakes at a cart once a week.

“We are awaiting the paperwork from them, so I would hope [they will open] within two weeks,” Kraner said in an email.

Manhattan Pizza will be yet another new retail dining option on campus. The restaurant is modeled after traditional Italian neighborhood pizzerias with a Greek influence. Their menu features pizzas, souvlaki and gyros. They will be located in University Hall, between Einstein Bros. Bagels and the UPS store.

Manhattan Pizza is scheduled to open this summer, as they have just signed their lease for University Hall. Since Manhattan Pizza is not a Sodexo company it is unclear what the dining committee’s recommendation is for the contract bid. The contract is currently being composed and is expected to be made public in about 30 days, according to Kraner.