UW-Eau Claire Grab n’ Go offers lunch alternatives

Local food trucks to be featured on Garfield Avenue every Monday through Friday until Oct. 12

More stories from Katrina Erskine

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Photo by Sam Farley

Julia Rindahl and James Selje, sophomore students, take advantage of UW-Eau Claire’s Grab n’ Go food trucks.

Every week day until Oct. 12, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., students looking for a switch from their lunchtime go-to can treat themselves to some food truck finds right on campus. The food trucks will fill Garfield Avenue in front of Schofield Hall.

The event was coordinated by UW-Eau Claire as a means to gauge student response to food vendors on Garfield Avenue, Kristin Schumacher, director of University Centers, said.

“Campus is looking at the possibility of building a food venue over on Garfield Ave, something people can enjoy during the months we have good weather and showcase our beautiful campus along the river,” Schumacher said. “There is so much excitement around food trucks in our community right now that we thought it would be a great way to jump onboard and provide this for our campus community.”

The food truck options rotate depending on the day. UW-Eau Claire’s food partners, Dining/Sodexo, have been in contact with many local food trucks, Schumacher said. Some trucks that have or will be featured are The Hubb, Basil Wyndthorp’s, Erbert and Gerbert’s, Marigold Café, Dickey’s Barbeque and Toppers Pizza.

The food truck for Dickey’s Barbecue made an appearance on Sept. 10.

Molly Vissers, a second-year student, visited the food truck. Vissers was nibbling on a mac ‘n’ cheese that she said she purchased for $2.00.

Dickey’s also served up some deals. One offered by the truck was a buy two mac ‘n’ cheeses for $3.00 deal.

The Hubb was on campus Sept. 11.

Tyler Chouinard, a chef for The Hubb, said Grab n’ Go was the perfect opportunity for The Hubb to market to and interact with the Eau Claire community.

“We are trying to become a big part of this community. We are already a pretty large company as is,” Chouinard said. “So, we are just trying to expand the food truck and make it even bigger and better every year.”

Some items on the menu include cheese curds, baja chicken tacos, ice cream, fried avocado, and mini corn dogs. One of their popular items is the baja chicken tacos, Chouinard said.

The Hubb isn’t new to the UW-Eau Claire campus. The truck has been on campus before. The involvement in the community is something The Hubb strives for.

Marigold Café was featured on Sept. 12. This food truck was started four years ago by sisters Joy Falch and Susan Miller. The siblings are both retired, and decided to start Marigold Café as their post-retirement job.

“We thought (Grab ‘n’ Go) would be a great opportunity, and fun for all you guys coming back to school,” Miller said.

The Marigold Café menu consists of paninis, coffee, iced coffee and gelato. Their most popular item is the “Lily” which consists of provolone, asiago, bruschetta and pesto. Customers also enjoy the truck’s gelato, Miller said.

One student grabbin’ some grub was second-year Megan Prorok, who ordered a grilled cheese sandwich.

“It was pretty good. It was really cheesy, so I liked that,” Prorok said. “They also had chips with the meal which was nice. It was grilled like a panini so that was cool, and it wasn’t greasy.”

Erskine can be reached at [email protected].