More items could soon be on the dining hall menu for Tarrant County College students.
The college system, which serves a student population of around 45,000, is currently designing the kitchens of three dining facilities at its South, Northeast and Southeast campuses. Margaret Lutton, the TCC executive director of institutional and strategic development, said the college is looking to build out these dining facilities so it can expand their menus, including with hot food.
“It’s important because our students do tend to hang out in between classes, and a lot of times they don’t have any place to go,” said Lutton. “We felt like it was important to have these constructed so that they would have a hot choice as well as a cold choice and healthy eating.”
Campuses currently offer cold food such as wraps and sandwiches.
The menu for the new facilities will include breakfast and lunch options, from eggs to quesadillas and more. Students and other TCC visitors will be able to order online or in person. The college has already completed an inventory of equipment needed, which includes a grill, a stovetop and refrigerated chef tables for quick food prep, among other supplies.
The cost for constructing these facilities is between $3.5 million and $4.5 million, according to college officials. The South campus is near I-20 and Campus Drive; the Northeast campus is in Hurst; and the Southeast campus is in Arlington. Once the facilities are open, the college expects to generate revenue from the sale of food. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2025, and the facilities are expected to be complete in spring 2026.
Shomial Ahmad is a higher education reporter for the Fort Worth Report, in partnership with Open Campus. Contact her at shomial.ahmad@fortworthreport.org.
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