News > March 20, 2008

By Elliot Engstrom | News editor

Students entering the second floor of the Benson University Center will notice a change of scenery from now on. The university’s Pizza Hut, located on the building’s second floor, has closed.

“The Pizza Hut in Wake Forest University’s Benson University Center has gone out of business. The store closed when the university’s spring break began,” according to a university press release.

The statement implies that it was not the university’s decision to close the restaurant, but instead Pizza Hut’s.

Plans are already in the works for the space that is being opened up where Pizza Hut formerly resided.

The copy center, which is currently located across from Pizza Hut, will be moved into the space.

Meanwhile, the current copy center space will become extra seating for patrons of the Benson Center’s food court.

The entire transformation process is being incorporated into the overall plans for the renovation of the food court.

“The existing copy center area will be converted into additional seating for the food court patrons as the renovation takes place,” Jim Alty, assistant vice president for facilities management, said in a university press release.

“The additional seating will be a benefit, as the food court gets very crowded during meal times.” One of Alty’s many responsibilities is overseeing campus food services.

“I really did not order pizza all that much”, sophomore Lee Schalk said.

“However, it was definitely a nice alternative to the ARAMARK service that we have.”

The overall renovations to the food court will begin in fall of 2008, when a delicatessen will be added to the area, along with improvements to Shorty’s.

More renovations are to come during the summer of 2009.

Among these will be the replacement of the current food court seating.

Also, the university plans to attempt to bring in a wider variety of international and local cuisines. For now the only change that is directly affecting students is that there is no longer an on campus source for pizza that will deliver straight to students’ rooms.