University Union brings new nationally-known dining options to Towson University campus

By Kyle Hobstetter on January 23, 2021

Towson University students officially run on Dunkin’.

The national donut and coffee chain is a highlight addition to the newly renovated Union Food Market, which will introduce seven unique dining option to campus.

The brand-new, full-service Dunkin’ location, which opened on Jan. 18, is the first on-campus location that will provide students with their favorite donuts, coffee, breakfast sandwiches and other freshly-baked goods on site.

Along with Dunkin’, the Union Food Market will also be home to the campus’ first full-service Chick-fil-A, which opens on Monday, Jan. 24.

This replaces Chick-fil-A Express, which previously served 5,000 chicken nuggets and 700 chicken sandwiches a day. The new full-service location is equipped to handle high volumes from the TU community — which today is more than three times the size of the student population when the original Union opened five decades earlier.

When surveying students, Dining Services and Student Affairs says that Dunkin’ and Chick-fil-A were repeatedly mentioned as preferences for dining on campus.

"Providing a variety of dining options helps to enhance the campus and the University Union, specifically, as an enjoyable destination for our students," says Vernon Hurte, TU's vice president for student affairs. "It’s especially exciting to have both Dunkin and Chick-fil-A as these were greatly desired food options by our student body.

Along with the two national vendors, the Union Food Market will also be the home to five eateries unique to the TU community. These vendors will include:

• Kappa Sushi: This authentic, in-house sushi concept was created right here at TU. It was first introduced to campus in 2008 in the space formerly known as the Susquehanna.
  
  Kappa Sushi has been an extremely popular option among the Towson University community and was previously averaging over 300 sushi orders a day,
  
  The refreshed Kappa Sushi venue offers additional space with expanded and updated menu offerings including sushi, salads, soups and hot entrée items.
• Innovation Kitchen: This “pop-up” station will host rotating menus and cuisines, and will serve foods from a wide variety of cultures from around the world. Innovation Kitchen will give the TU community a destination for international cuisines and cultures.
  
  The station will also be utilized for sampling opportunities, as well as teaching kitchens led by TU culinary talent.
• Torta Fresca: When surveyed about cuisines on campus, Italian was the top choice among TU students. Built around a new wood pizza oven, Torta Fresca will feature individual made-to-order pizza. Using house-made dough, the menu will contain classic pies along with specialty pizzas.
  
  Build-your-own pasta will also be a staple with specials like shrimp and ravioli, buttery crab, and penne alla vodka.
• Union Sandwich Co.: Serving as The Union Food Market’s revamped deli, Union Sandwich Co. will offer toasted sandwiches and flatbreads and a variety of pickles made on-site.
• In Harvest: This new healthy option will offer both signature and customizable salads using a variety of fresh seasonal ingredients, proteins, lentils, beans, toppings, and house-made dressings.

All vendors in the Union Food Market will open during the start of the spring 2022 term. With these new options opening up, the PAWS Café located on the first floor of the University Union will close to undergo renovations to improve the space.

Says Hurte, "Our goal is to provide an outstanding experience for our students. Having excellent dining options is a major part of that."

The Union is the most frequently-used building on Towson University’s campus, housing student activities, student group and meeting space, and retail and dining options used by the entire campus community.

A two-phase construction project is transforming TU's University Union.

Among the additions:

• double the space for student activities and organizations
• A 300-seat auditorium/movie theatre
• relocated and expanded Career Center
• a new 15,000-square-foot ballroom  
• new spaces for Student Life, Design + Graphic Services, Civic Engagement and Enrollment Marketing.

"It’s awesome to see the vision for the University Union come alive," says Towson University Vice President for Student Affairs Venron Hurte. "Every time I walk through the Union, I’m excited by the sight of our students making it a wonderful destination for making connections and enjoying the resources and amenities available to them."

Check out Towson University Dining Services’ website to check out menus, hours and updates for the different dining locations on campus. And to stay up to date with all the food options on campus, follow Dining Services on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.