found across the district. The cafe offers grab-and-go food options as well as drinks.
KJ Means/The Collegian
NINA BANKS
campus editor
nina.banks@my.tccd.edu
TCC has expanded Caffe Noliz to the NE, NW, SE, South and TR East Campuses following the loss of vendor Genuine Foods.
After the sudden withdrawal of Genuine Foods, Mike Herndon, the executive director of procurement, set out to find a new food service option for students.
“ECI has been a previous vendor,” Herndon said. “They actually are the company that ran the TR Campus food service for many years.”
Herndon explained that TCC had to find a new vendor after an issue with the previous company.
“So we ended up with a contract dispute with vendor Genuine Foods,” Herndon said. “Who had begun setting up back in the fall. We ended up having to hedge our bets and renegotiate a contract with ECI to take over operations.”
Caffe Noliz opened on NE, South and TR East the week before spring break. NW and SE followed, opening on March 27 and 29 respectively. TR Campus already has a food service by ECI Management group called Trinity Brews, which includes a full kitchen.
Caffe Noliz is a “We proudly serve Starbucks’ location. Each campus serves Starbucks drinks and a variety of grab and go food selections — such as sandwiches, salads and wraps. Caffe Noliz worker Cathy Moore has seen many students utilize the service.
“We’ve had a lot,” Moore said. “And we’ve had a lot of people go “It’s so wonderful you’re here,” so yeah, they’re all excited.”
ECI Management manages and oversees all food service locations — including hiring and kitchens.
“They have a Chef who oversees all campuses and various level employees at each campus,” Herndon said. “ECI will hire directly. They have signs posted around each campus with instructions on how to apply.”
NE student Jo Mahoney first heard about Caffe Noliz the week after spring break and visited it for the first time recently. Mahoney saw the excitement from other students about the new food option.
“I’ve overheard people [talking],” Mahoney said.
Moore believes Caffe Noliz is a good option for students in between classes, and can see it being beneficial to students long term.
“We’re going to be adding more food items — hopefully to the fall,” Moore said. “So we’re looking up.”
In the future, Herndon hopes to be able to expand the food selection on campuses eventually.
“That all depends on if the sales will support it,” Herndon said. “ECI Management group is interested in expanding service at all locations but it will likely be later this fall before we can determine if that expansion is financially sustainable.”
Herndon is glad TCC can provide a new food option to students.
“I’m ecstatic that we were able to do this quickly as we were,” Herndon said. “We did not find out we were not going to be able to continue with our previous vendor until three days before winter break. So it may sound like a long time for students, but three months is a very quick turn around for what we ended up having to do. I’m proud we were able to pull it off right after spring break.”
