After budget issues and construction delays, the new 1901 Marketplace dining complex is scheduled to open this quarter after almost three years after construction began in the spring quarter of 2021, campus dining officials said.
According to Cal Poly Corporation communications specialist Aaron Lambert, the project’s budget and timeline were exceeded due to weather and pandemic-related complications that “increased the scope of the project.”
Construction was initially set to be completed in spring 2023, with a fully functioning facility available in fall 2023, Cal Poly Corporation said. The delays have caused both deadlines to be pushed back by one quarter.
Weather and pandemic-related conditions push back construction
Despite construction complications, “construction work went well, considering it started during the pandemic and struggled through the supply chain issues, in addition to unexpected rain damage and flooding on the first floor during last winter’s storms,” Lambert said.
During these storms, up to six inches of rain flooded the first floor of the building, leaving behind a foot of standing water. The damage was significant enough that construction was expanded to a building-wide remodel. Originally, only the top floor was scheduled for remodeling.
Project exceeds estimated budget
As for the budget, Lambert attributes the underestimation to it being “set and approved roughly five years ago, in a much different time.”
1901 Marketplace will replace former dining halls 805 Kitchen and The Avenue. The name is an homage to when Cal Poly was founded. Cal Poly Corporation is putting $30 million, about 38% of its $80 million renovation budget towards 1901, according to the Cal Poly Corporation website.
New and returning dining options
Director of Commercial Services Russell Monteath and Lambert led Mustang News reporters on a guided tour of the facility on Nov. 29.
Once open, students can expect a variety of dining options.
“There will be six campus dining original venues, each focusing on unique culinary niche concepts, including Mediterranean and Mexican platforms, a juice bar, a sandwich shop and Red Radish, which will be moving there from Mustang Station,” Lambert said.
There is no current plan for Red Radish’s replacement in Mustang Station, Monteath said.
According to Monteath, these vendors will operate similarly to those in the Vista Grande dining hall, with a rotating menu and options to purchase items in person and through Grubhub.
The “California Mexican” vendor Pico’s and the Mediterranean venue Pom and Honey are two of these venues, Monteath said.
Campus Dining also plans on bringing back some original venues from The Avenue, including Poly Deli, which will have hot soups, panini and sushi, Monteath said.
Students can also expect restaurant chain options, Monteath said. Panda Express and Chick-fil-A will both have full concepts in the new marketplace, unlike the fast-food express locations seen elsewhere on campus.
Cal Poly Corporations originally reported that The Habit Burger would also have a venue in 1901 Marketplace, but faculty and staff wanted to prioritize additional retail and buffet-style food options, Monteath said.
Cal Poly Dining often leaned on the Cal Poly community for their opinions, Monteath said. He also said the development of the 1901 Marketplace was “driven by student feedback.” Original vendors Pom and Honey and Pico’s were both top-voted items that students wanted to see on campus, he said.
The 1901 Marketplace will offer made-to-order menu items similar to Vista Grande, while also returning to the buffet-style dining model of 805 Kitchen and The Avenue. At opening, the buffet will only be operating in a limited capacity; full-scale buffet-style dining will likely start next year, Monteath said.
Design aimed to foster socializing among students
The focus of 1901 will be to provide an open-environment dining experience. With 850 total seats – 70 to 80% of which are outside – 1901 will take over as the main dining hall on campus and relieve pressure from Vista Grande, which was not intended to carry its current load, Monteath said.
“We need more on-campus dining options and more space and I think we’ll get that once the buildings are finally open,” animal science junior Mia Arriaga said.
In an email, Lambert described how the goals of the complex go beyond dining. According to Lambert, it will serve as both a marketplace and a community gathering space and will complement the planned update to the University Union. Due to its central location on campus, Lambert expects the new dining hall to “improve the overall student experience by increasing campus connectivity.”
Students who recognize the complex’s location on campus are anticipating its completion.
“The dining is in a good central spot on campus, close to the gym and dorms too, which I think will make it a new hang-out or go-to spot on campus,” construction management sophomore Nick Custer said.
While the complex will support community gathering spaces with large open seating areas, the design also includes a large breezeway between two main buildings, formerly The Avenue and 805 Kitchen. This covered breezeway will have seating for studying, open-air dining and a location for local vendor pop-up shops.
According to Lambert, several locations across the country inspired the design for 1901: the San Francisco Ferry Building, New York’s Chelsea Market and Atlanta’s Krog Street Market.
“These spots are comfortable, welcoming spaces where people don’t necessarily grab their food and go; they gather and hang out,” Lambert said. “1901 Marketplace was designed to be just that. A place for students to gather, foster friendships, put down their books and study materials, and have a moment to relax and enjoy each other’s company.”
Aside from dining, the complex will include additional spaces for student, faculty, and employee use.
The space that was once Poly Deli will be home to a student-centric space for gatherings that will serve as an extension of the University Union, including a stadium-style seating forum.
The first floor of the complex will house the food warehouse, catering division and sushi room, with additional multipurpose rooms.
Students express concern over potential food prices
Due to the recent focus on Cal Poly’s food prices, Mustang News reporters asked Lambert and Monteath about food pricing in the new dining complex.
A recent report by Mustang News found that prices for food at Cal Poly are significantly higher than at other CSU campuses and off-campus establishments.
According to Lambert, the aimed price point will be similar to that of other campus venues.
“Campus Dining is always cognizant of student budgets and does what it can to keep prices reasonable,” he said.
In the previously mentioned Mustang News piece, Lambert was quoted suggesting that Cal Poly’s higher prices could be due to its Dining Dollar system that uses “a declining balance to pay for single food items rather than swiping into a buffet-style dining hall.”
However, the dining system doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon.
“Dining meal plans are not finalized, but we are leaning more toward using dining dollars versus dining swipes,” Monteath said. “This allows for greater flexibility and for students to eat at any on-campus dining locations instead of being limited to certain locations.”
Although it may be more expensive, some students said they appreciate the dining dollar system.
“I like the idea of dining dollars over swipes because of how it allows me to eat anywhere on campus,” forestry and fire science freshman Jason Miller said. “I have friends who go to schools that use dining swipes and have heard them complain about how they are limited to where they can eat on their campus.”
Late-night dining options are also an area of concern for some students.
“I hope that at 1901 there is a late-night dining option because everything closes at eight except for Subway,” Miller said.
While there are plans to add late-night dining to 1901, they’re still in the works, Monteath said.
After the guided tour on Nov. 29, Monteath explained the final steps that must be completed before opening: the fire marshall needed to check off on the building, employees needed to be hired and trained and the district managers for the fast-food restaurants needed to help with training and operations of the new locations.
However, Monteath assured Mustang News that the dining hall will be open at “some capacity” at the start of the quarter.
Correction: This article was updated at 3:50 p.m. to correct the spelling of Pom and Honey.