April 16, 2008

Purdue's Urban Market named a top collegiate convenience store

Purdue's Urban Market
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The honorable mention "Best in the Business" winner will be featured in the May biennial issue of the association's Campus Dining magazine.

Urban Market, located in Purdue Memorial Union's newly created Union Commons, was cited for the variety of its food service. A hot food counter serves healthy and organic foods such as turkey meatloaf with a hint of cranberry and polenta with wild mushrooms and marinated and grilled portabellas. The Grab & Go cold food service includes sandwiches and salads - many vegetarian or organic - such as Thai veggie wrap with a peanut Thai sauce and Urban Harvest Salad, a mixture of grapes, apples, walnuts, blue cheese and banana chips. Loops, a neon-and-chrome laced lunch counter, serves 30 hot and cold cereals with a variety of toppings all day long.

For student convenience, all prepared foods are available for dine-in or carry out. The grocery section includes a variety of natural energy snacks, upscale snack food and microwavable meals.

Gary C. Goldberg, director of dining services for Purdue Memorial Union, said daily sales at the market approach $2,300.

"The sundries and wellness products also have been popular with all of our customers, but perhaps, most particularly, with guests at the Union Club Hotel," Goldberg said. "We've created a niche market that serves a wide demographic."

The 1,800-square-foot Urban Market occupies a space that served for 25 years as a dining room designed to resemble a 19th-century rural train station. The store now features the motifs of a modern subway station, including black and white tile, bright lighting and neon signage.

The Urban Market is part of the $7 million Union Commons complex of quick-service restaurants that opened in fall 2007. Venues such as Lemongrass, La Salsa, Flatbreads, Villa Fresh Italian Kitchen and Zia Juice feature an array of international and healthy foods.

Writer: Jim Schenke, (765) 494-6262, jschenke@purdue.edu

Sources: Gary Goldberg, (765) 494-8931, gcgoldberg@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

PHOTO CAPTION:

The National Association of College and Food Services magazine Campus Dining has named Purdue's Urban Market as one of "Best in the Business" among on-campus convenience stores. Urban Market was cited for its modern design and for hot and cold food services that offer international, vegetarian and organic selections. (Purdue University photo/David Haan)

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