The noon rush hour at 1901 Marketplace is busy as it is, but with a new venue, busy has turned into bustling.
Located right next to Pom & Honey, Cal Poly Dining added a new venue option this academic year called Poly Choice, replacing Poly Deli.
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“Poly Deli wasn’t resonating with the campus community, so we used feedback from our annual survey to reimagine the space into Poly Choice,” Director of Commercial Services Russell Monteath said. “The new venue is designed to stay fresh and exciting by rotating menus every six weeks, giving the community variety and the opportunity to try something new.”
The restaurant is open Monday through Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. On Fridays, their hours are shorter, running from 10:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Currently, it is closed on weekends but if demand is high enough, Monteath said they would consider adjustments for weekend hours.
Poly Choice introduces a unique menu to Cal Poly dining, similar to existing build-your-own concepts at Balance Cafe, Pom & Honey, Red Radish and Picos. Their current main menu item is the build-your-own poke bowl.
Monteath also mentioned “feedback has been terrific” and students have “really embraced the poke concept.”
Their menu features grab-and-go options such as seaweed salad, dessert poke bowl, sesame cucumber salad and vegetable egg rolls. Though the build-your-own poke bowls are $13.95, their grab-and-go items are less than $7.00.
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“All of it was really good except for the tuna because I had a few bad pieces,” animal science freshman Maddie Russo said.
While students have mixed reviews about the food itself, they have strong opinions about the price.
“If you get the basic bowl without any add-ons that cost extra, it’s not worth it especially because it’s already overpriced,” computer engineering freshman Tiffany Leimer said.
Students are able to order ahead on the Grubhub app. However, there are some limitations with in-person options not being available on the Grubhub app such as the watermelon “ahi” as a protein.
“Many have told us how much they prefer Poly Choice compared to what was offered last year with Poly Deli—which is exactly the kind of response we were hoping for,” Monteath said.