An Einstein Bros. Bagels is set to go in the Art building at the northeast edge of campus and is estimated to open in spring semester, Associate Vice President for Facilities Dave Reynolds said.
The forthcoming Einstein Bros. Bagels is currently in the design stage with the retailer’s firm and UNT Facilities, which must be completed before any construction on the space can begin.
“The design and contracting will probably go on through the end of October and construction would go on after that,” Reynolds said. “There’s an outside firm that is developing all of the design documents for us, so everything from the kitchen equipment, the layout, the furnishing, air conditioning, and heating systems are all a part of that design. Currently, the space that it was built in is just a shell, so everything has to be planned.”
While in the process of designing and contracting the Einstein Bros. Bagels, Reynolds said Facilities has experienced a few new challenges.
“They’ve got their own set of design construction firms that they work with, so we’re dealing with some new partners, so we’re both kind of learning,” Reynolds said. “They’re learning a little bit about working with the State Procurement system and we’re learning a little bit about working with a private vendor like Einstein’s.”
The decision to have an Einstein Bros. Bagels in the Art building was influenced by the results of a survey that UNT Dining Services conducted amongst the College of Visual Arts and Design.
“We really value student input when it comes to Dining Services at UNT, so we surveyed CVAD students, faculty and staff about what they wanted to see in the new Art building café space,” Dining Services Communication Director Alyssa Torrance said. “We received a lot of great feedback on the national and local brands we explored, and Einstein Bros. Bagels was the clear favorite. We’re excited to offer students, faculty, and staff this convenient selection of beverages, snacks, and meals to fuel their creativity and success.”
Some students, like political science and philosophy senior Daniela Hernandez, said they are welcoming of the new dining option and its location.
“I’m glad they’re adding it and I think it’s cool that they’re putting it in the Art building,” Hernandez said. “A lot of the other restaurants are in the Union so it’s nice that they’re putting Einstein’s somewhere else. There are already two chicken places and two taco places so it would be nice if there was more of a variety to choose from.”
The Einstein Bros. Bagels on campus, once completed, will be the only of its kind to serve the Denton area. The next closest location can be found approximately 16 miles from campus in Flower Mound.
“It’s a great opportunity to provide food up in that northeast corner and the campus,” Reynolds said. “The space is going to be well suited to provide a bagel experience for everybody up there, so we’re really looking forward to working on this project.”
Feature Image: Einstein Bros Bagels sits under construction at UNT’s CVAD building. Construction is expected to be done by the spring of 2020. Image by Kare Gray