by Tamara Gaskill
Daily Lobo
By 12:30 p.m. Thursday, there were more than 25 people waiting in line to get their Chinese food fix at the SUB.
Angela Gonzales was one student waiting in the long line outside Miso, the SUB's Chinese restaurant. She said having Chinese food at the SUB drew her there.
"They don't have Chinese food on campus," she said. "Now that the new (restaurants) are here, I like them all," Gonzales said.
Students can have their orders prepared in front of them at Miso.
Walt Miller, director of the SUB, said having it cooked fresh is better because the food is not sitting out for long - it goes right from the heat to the bowl.
Miller also said it offered a healthier selection for students.
Miso is not the only addition to the SUB this semester - Pizza Hut Express and Wing Street replaced Bene Pizza and Pasta.
Gonzales said she was happy about the change.
"Having the Pizza Hut is better than what was there before," she said.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Student Rick Bustos agreed.
"I would rather have Pizza Hut than (Bene Pizza and Pasta)," he said. He added that having the SUB open was more convenient than having to eat at a restaurant off-campus.
The restaurants seem to be doing well so far, Miller said. Although he doesn't have the official numbers yet, he said the SUB has been busier than previous semesters.
"From what I've been watching, the evening usage has gone up," he said.
Last semester many of the restaurants closed between 2 and 3 p.m.
Miller said four of the restaurants - including Sonic and Pizza Hut Express - are open later in the evening to accommodate students taking night classes.
"We've been looking at the SUB's activity in relation to the student population," Miller said.
Pizza Hut Express is open until 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and is closed Sundays.
Miso is open until 3 p.m. on weekdays and is closed on the weekends.
Sonic is open until 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and until 8 p.m. on Fridays.
The building is open until 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. Friday and Saturday, the SUB stays open until midnight.
Student Jenna Stanton said she enjoys eating at the SUB in the beginning of the semester, but then ends up finding other options.
"I venture more out to Schlotsky's occasionally when I get sick of the SUB food," she said. "But I am really liking the whole Pizza Hut thing."
Zia Juice, a smoothie bar that was in the SUB last semester, has moved to the bookstore and has been renamed Zia Express.
Miller said it didn't do as well as he had hoped in the previous location.
"It's a little closer to Johnson Center for those peoples who are exercising there and want the juice," he said.
