By Raeanne Raccagno
Correspondent
World Fusion Teriyaki’s name has been making its way across campus and capturing students' taste buds in Brower Student Center since opening at the beginning of the semester. Customers can choose from various teriyaki bowls, starters, a la carte and flavorful sauces from the new Japanese food station.
The space was previously occupied by Carlitos Barbecue Taqueria, which opened last fall and was beloved for its pit-smoked barbecue tacos.
Carlitos’ closing came after “the Student Government requested new food offerings to be added in a rotation,” said Nelson Morales, resident district manager of dining services at the College. “We decided to replace Carlitos with World Fusion Teriyaki, and we will collect student feedback to see if it should be rotated out next school year.”
Student Government did not specifically ask to replace Carlitos while advocating for new food offerings in the BSC and other locations on campus, according to Jared Williams, the College’s executive president of student government.
The College renovated the cooking space over the summer to be more dynamic for various restaurant ideas.
Teriyaki’s bowls come with an option of chicken, beef, a combination of both or tofu, and are served over white or fried rice, with a brown rice substitution for an additional $1.
“It literally just melted in my mouth,” said Ella Thomas, a graduate special education major. “It was a perfect balance of rice, chicken, beef and mixed veggies.”
While Thomas has been enjoying the new dining option, she also described herself as “Carlitos’ biggest fan.”
“I think I miss Carlitos a little bit just because of my heritage,” she said. Thomas frequently enjoyed the plantains because they reminded her of her Puerto Rican heritage.
Diamond Evans, a senior mechanical engineering major, said he was ready for a change from Carlitos. Evans cut his dining ties with Carlitos after having a pool of grease pour out from his tacos.
“I get with Carlitos it was supposed to be for Hispanic, Latino culture, but as a guy who’s part Puerto Rican, my grandmother wouldn’t be okay with [Carlitos],” Evans said. “[Teriyaki] is way way better, both simple but impactful.”
Both Evans and Thomas are also fond of the sushi offered right next to Teriyaki, Hissho Sushi, which is a franchise with over 2,000 locations nationwide. Tahidar Myo, who has been making sushi for the College for six years, is now running Teriyaki with her husband Zaw Oo.
“Whatever you want — spicy, salty, if you have a taste, let me know,” Myo said. “They like it or they don’t like it … I’ll change it for them.”
Some students said ordering in the BSC makes them apprehensive due to a few workers' dispositions, but Teriyaki has been a pleasant change of food and demeanor.
“Customer service is always a big thing for me,” said Dylan Carabello, a junior business management major. “If the customer service is good then I can at least take something away from it, but I think both the customer service and the food were good [at Teriyaki]. It was very fresh and I definitely enjoyed the quality of the food.”
The Teriyaki vendor comes from Sodexo Group, a food services and facilities management company that manages the dining options at the College. Teriyaki is inspired by Mein Bowls, another Asian food vendor that is offered on other college campuses through the company.
“The restaurant aims to be ‘glocal,'” said Morales, “meaning it provides global flavors crafted with local ingredients whenever possible, to be respectful of the environment and to make the consumer feel welcomed and special each visit through friendly service.”
Nelson encourages students to contact dining services in person or through their feedback form about what they want to see more of on campus regarding food options.
