Sanja Zelen
Staff writer
At the beginning of this fall semester, a new convenience store opened in Willamette’s University Center (U.C.) that offers an alternative dining experience for students wanting to try something new and skip the Goudy lunch line.
Blitz Market, opposite of the Bistro in the U.C., is an extension of Goudy Commons Cafe that opened on September 24. Blitz Market serves snacks, beverages and meals that are not offered at Goudy or the Millstream Market. Open on Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and on the weekend from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Blitz Market is a resource for any snack or lunch needs students may have.
Darin Wachs, Café Bon Appétit’s director of operations, explained the services Blitz Market offers: “[We] offer some products for retail that are very limited on campus right now. We offer retail items of snacks and beverages. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., we have a chef-inspired entree for a quick grab-and-go option to utilize with your board meal points.”
Any form of campus payment can be used at Blitz Market, Wachs says: “For the meal itself, [students] can get a meal and a canned beverage. The board meal will be used for the global lunch special meal, then flex points or Compass Cash can be used for any other items within the cold case on the retail level.”
Goudy Commons Cafe, Willamette’s primary dining hall, has catered to Willamette students, staff and outside residents for years. During the fall 2020 semester, Goudy has continued to serve students by providing meals in boxes and enforcing social distancing in the common areas. However, COVID-19 guidelines limiting entry into Goudy and leading to the closure of Kaneko have resulted in longer lunch lines.
Wachs highlights Blitz Market as, “an opportunity for a quicker, faster hot meal. It avoids the line over at Goudy that can be a little bit daunting from time to time, but we’re doing our best to minimize that on a daily basis.”
There are plans to expand Blitz Market once stricter safety measures can be set in place and things return to normal in terms of campus reopening. “The goal is to allow for more people [inside] and perhaps do some demo cooking or more exhibition-type opportunities,” Wachs says. “If we’re able to serve other types of food, like Goudy had with live food in front of you, that’s the next step that we want to try to evolve the market into, as well as getting a better feel for what students want to purchase for retail items.” A live dining experience would resemble the wrap line or global meal station at Goudy, where food was made on the spot for customers.
Wachs explains that Blitz Market staff are “constantly trying to be mindful of our retail mix so it’s staying progressive. It’s got alternative vegan items you may not see in other places.”
The staff at Blitz Market are willing to take recommendations from students via the comment cards in Goudy or by email in terms of what snacks and meals students would like to see at the market. Plans to expand Blitz Market include providing more meal, snack and beverage options for students as well as incorporating live dining experiences. With flexible hours and grab-and-go meals, Blitz Market is a service that is suitable for the dining needs of students wanting extra snacks or a quicker, alternative meal.