By RAYGAN LOPEZ
Co-Editor
The Badger Central Cafe at Amarillo College’s Washington Street Campus is remodeling and upgrading.
Fall II will bring a new layout, new cooking equipment and new menu items.
“One of our goals was to create a new exciting and inviting space for students, faculty and staff. As soon as you enter the College Union Building, the cafe and bookstore will be one open space where you can get a cup of coffee and browse the bookstore,” Andrew Flores, director of Badger Central Bookstore and Cafe, said.
A digital menu, acoustic tiles hanging from the ceiling in order to reduce echoes and a lighter paint scheme are part of the upgrades, Flores added.
“One of the most anticipated additions will be our self-serving station of coffees, teas and fountain drinks. In the kitchen, new cooking equipment will allow us to make our own coffee syrups, cook fresh food and host a variety of events in the space,” Flores said.
A pizza oven, convection oven, freestanding range, countertop griddle, smoker oven and fountain drinks are new additions to the cafe’s equipment.
“Right now we’re coming up with different types of specials that could kind of fit everybody’s likes,” Kyle Keffer, chef and cafe manager, said. We’ll have everything from vegetarian to vegan options,” Keffer said.
“Personally, I have been working on several recipes to get a good, quick burger and we’re also going to have an assortment of salads. We’re going to have breakfast burritos, breakfast tacos, a breakfast platter, biscuits and gravy and a breakfast sandwich,” Keffer said.
The cafe is working on an assortment of tea flavors, fountain and bottled drinks and a special blend for both hot and cold coffee.
“We’ll have mango black, standard black tea, earl grey, tahitian vanilla, as well as regular sweet and unsweet tea. A different flavor of coffee every day and we’re in the works with a local roaster to have our own personal blend,” Keffer said.
“Of course we will have Dr. Pepper, Sprite, Coke, Diet Dr. Pepper, Diet Coke and I’m looking into having a poll for the students to see what the last two drinks should be,” he said.
The construction has left students with few food choices on campus. Some snacks are available at the temporary location in Russell Hall.
“There are a few restaurants and places to eat near campus,” Chris Sharp, vice president of Business Affairs, said “There’s Subway, Dairy Queen, Taco Bell and Thai Express all on Washington Street between I-40 and I-27. Heading East, there’s the La Campana restaurant near 24th SE Ave.,” Sharp said.
Food is limited in the vending machines and the Chick-Fil-A truck has not made a commitment to return to campus, Sharp said.
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