Ewha-POSCO Building convenience store, Main Dish and Areumtteul had run their business at Ewha for an extended period of time. The convenience store, which closed on July 10, provided copying services, food, and stationery from 2002. Also, Main Dish, a cafeteria at ECC with diverse menus, had been open since 2006. Areumtteul, a cafeteria that had offered casual meals and snacks, had operated on the basement floor of Helen Hall since 1998. The two cafeterias stopped operating on June 30.
From July 23, CU has taken the place of the former convenience store. Situated at the Ewha-POSCO Building, the convenience store franchise has provided stationery and copying services in addition to its usual goods. Food Hall at ECC has started its business as well. Opened on July 16, the cafeteria has Korean, Chinese and Western-style dishes such as soup, noodles and pork cutlet at a slightly lower price than Main Dish. Lounge O,’ an Italian-style cafeteria, is currently under construction at the basement of Helen Hall and is expected to open in mid-September.
The students had diverging opinions about the replacement. Some welcomed the changes with hopes for the new establishments.
“Honestly, I am not surprised by Main Dish and Ewha-POSCO Building convenience store leaving Ewha,” Lee So-hyun (English Education, 1) said. “Their food was expensive and not so delicious. I hope the new facilities would lower their price while maintaining the quality of food and hygiene.”
Conversely, some remarked that they haven’t seen visible changes after the replacement.
“The cafeteria at ECC hasn’t changed much,” said Lee Joo-bin (Clothing & Textiles, 3). “I had expected more from the ECC Food Hall as the operator has changed. Instead, the price is still high and the food is not any better.”
Meanwhile, the OFA explained that the university prioritized students’ security, hygiene and satisfaction in the selection process. It initiated an auction to select an organization that will run its business at the convenience store at the Ewha-POSCO Building, ECC food court and Helen Hall cafeteria respectively.
“We invited as many organizations as possible including existing businesses for fair evaluation,” an OFA official Park So-youn remarked. “In order to ensure our priorities, each participant had to submit their proposal, hold an on-site seminar, and undergo an in-depth interview. After this process, we selected the business that had presented the best proposal.”
Huh Ryun-jung
ryunhuh@ewhain.net