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The Indiana Daily Student

El Bistro provides new options, convenience

Students wait in line to order from the El Bistro cafe located in Read Hall. El Bistro is undergoing a renovation as part of Read Hall's multiphase improvement project.

The dining facility El Bistro at Read Residence Center has been relocated and ?revamped.

Previously located on the lower floor of Read, El Bistro has been moved to the newly renovated lobby, across the corridor from the center desk.

The project, which started about two years ago, was designed to facilitate circulation paths in Read that would give El Bistro a more prominent location, Principle Architect for VPS Architecture Sarah Schuler said.

“Now that it’s all been opened up, it’s easy to see,” she said.

The preliminary stages of design began in mid-2013, and the construction is projected to be complete in the summer of 2015, Schuler said.

She said the project was complex because the construction was ongoing while students lived in the building.

The new design of El Bistro is less compact, Schuler said, and still built on the premise of being able to watch your food being prepared.

She said the fresh aesthetic provides each of the venues space to have their own ?identities.

“It kind of just lets them be better in more of what they are,” she said.

Freshman Jake Shavi said the new design was a visual improvement from El Bistro’s prior location.

“I mean, it looked alright, just not as nice as this,” he said.

Although El Bistro is historically successful, Schuler said, this design would give it the space to be even more successful.

“I think just the prominent location of El Bistro is going to enhance its success,” she said. “Any time you open up a venue, the number of people you provide service to generally goes up, and it went up pretty significantly.”

Schuler said the design hinged on the principle of making the entire layout of El Bistro more intuitive for students, which gave it a more inviting nature and made it easier to find.

“I think all of these things are going to contribute to El Bistro’s greater success,” Schuler said.

Freshman Justine McGinley, a Read resident and new employee at the dining court, has noticed changes in what El Bistro has to offer.

“The menu does change every day,” she said.

The other restaurants previously featured at El Bistro have stayed — the Bistro Deli, which offers sandwiches and subs; Crimson Café, serving breakfast food; and Bueno, for Mexican cuisine.

McGinley said certain foods have been added to the menus such as Breakfast Buddies, popular breakfast sandwiches. She also said some recipes or portion sizes seemed to change. She talked about Bueno specifically.

“You’re not allowed to get queso on your burritos anymore, which is not fun for me,” she said.

Although queso is no longer a topping, Shavi said the changes improved the food.

What remains the same at El Bistro? The waffles, ?McGinley said.

“Until it closes, you can get your waffles,” she said.

According to the RPS website, El Bistro is open from 7:30 a.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday and from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays. Weekend hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

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