Husky Den embraces quality over cheap dining

Five years ago, the food service facilities of the UW were outdated and students were unhappy with the quality of meals they were receiving.

This prompted Housing and Food Services (HFS) to solicit bonds to renovate the Husky Den into what it is today, a more modern environment catering to students. Husky Den now serves 8,000 to 10,000 customers a day.

Eric Lenard has been overseeing Husky Den as one of the lead chefs for the past three years.

He was told that HFS had the goal to "deinstitutionalize the institution of food" by making food from scratch with fresh ingredients cooked daily.

It was also HFS' goal to make the dining environment at the UW a unique place to eat based on the quality of food and service, Lenard was told by Jean Michel Boulet, UW's executive chef and acting director of food services.

According to Lenard, many schools with all-you-can-eat plans encourage students to eat less by serving lower quality foods.

The UW has eliminated the "missed meal factor" by providing quality, fresh food for the students, Lenard said. If students choose to eat elsewhere, HFS loses money, so there is incentive to make food better, tastier and to provide a wider range of options for students.

With several dining options on campus, Lenard said it is his priority to make students want to come back to Husky Den.

Subway and Pagliacci's Pizza receive about 1,000 customers each per day, and Etc. serves about 3,000 customers per day.

The other restaurants, such as Red Radish and Arriba, serve roughly 300 to 500 customers a day.

Lenard said because each restaurant in the Husky Den is managed separately, it is much easier to meet the customer's needs.

"If a customer mentions to the manager that they want a certain kind of soup that we haven't had in a while, then most likely the next day that soup will be available to them," said Lenard.

There is a mix of healthy options and not so healthy options in the Den. You can get soup and salad at Red Radish or a huge burrito with the works at Arriba.

"Take Arriba; if you want a taco with no cheese and no sour cream, that's what you'll get. It's all in how you order," Lenard said. " We don't try to force choices on anyone, or dictate what they should or should not eat. Instead we try to provide options, and I think we do a good job."

Because the food is prepared from scratch, there are no nutritional facts available to the public with the exception of Subway, a national chain. According to Lenard, the lack of interest from students in the nutritional value of the food eliminated the need.

"It's not processed food; it's made fresh and cooked and prepared the day it is served," he said.

Lenard said he would like to think the Husky Den stands out for its variety and quality.

While it is hard to please everyone, namely the small minority of vegetarians on campus and the even smaller number of vegans, Lenard said not only is it his personal goal to try, it is also his organization's.

"Our mission is make the kids happy and we do that by providing great taste, and many options," he said.