Fast Food On Four Wheels

Mobile eatery delivers fresh dining choices

John FlynnTHE SANTA CLARASeptember 25, 2014

Screen Shot 2014-09-25 at 6.04.30 PM[dropcap]S[/dropcap]anta Clara will soon have its own food truck.

The Pony Express will be located in the currently under-construction dining plaza between Mayer Theatre and O’Connor Hall. Diners will have to wait until mid-October for the truck to open for business.

The Pony Express will be open for breakfast and lunch from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will offer food made from sustainably-sourced local ingredients.

Although Bon Appetit’s executive chefs are still mulling over the final menu, the truck will begin serving an assortment of fruit, freshly-made Nobili Bakery pastries and exclusive-to-the-truck breakfast items. For lunch, students can choose from a variety of sliders and street tacos.

Mirroring other campus dining options, the truck will seek to accommodate students’ dietary needs. From this starting point, chefs will tailor the menu to student feedback and dietary obligations.

The food truck is part of the campus’ northern expansion. A new parking structure and walkway have already been added.

Recently, local restaurants such as Yum Yum Tree and Henry’s were purchased and torn down by Santa Clara to make way for the new Art and Art History Building.

The formerly sleepy home to Mayer Theatre and O’Connor Hall will become a bustling corner of campus. To accommodate this influx of activity, there are long-term plans for a new permanent cafe, a dining option in another undecided building and a revamp of the dining landscape in the Benson Center. However nothing has been finalized.

Jane Barrantes, assistant vice president of auxiliary services, said, “We needed to fill a void that might change or only exist for five to eight years in that location.”

The truck’s arrival will bring new dining options.

 Many of the truck’s nights and weekends will be spent catering events in Locatelli Hall, Loyola Hall and athletic events. Additionally, the Catering Office will begin renting out The Pony Express for various campus events beginning in January.

Despite Bon Appetit’s lavish offerings, Santa Clara students will have the final word on the truck’s success. In the campus’ latest attempt to combat food fatigue, students will soon see what the Pony Express delivers.

Contact John Flynn at jfflynn@scu.edu or call (408) 554-4854.