In March, Texas Wesleyan opened its newest restaurant in Gina’s Cafe.
The grand opening on March 18 saw students try the restaurant for the first time. Music played from speakers and balloons decorated the restaurant to celebrate the opening. Johnna Flenoid, director of dining services, has led and managed the opening of the new restaurant.
“I really wanted [the grand opening] to be something to pull students into the Martin Center,” Flenoid said.
B+F was brought in to replace the rotating restaurant concept which lacked popularity among students.
“The very first day, we had like 40 customers right off the bat when normally the stations that were there before may have had anywhere from four to eight customers any day,” Flenoid said. “The very next day it was like double, we had almost 80. Then the next day it was over 100 so I mean, we’re already seeing that students like it and they’re coming back.”
Sophomore business major Lorenzo Arias was among the students to try B+F during its grand opening.
“I thought it was really good, I think the whole burger overall is really delicious,” Arias said. “The patty itself is really juicy, flavorful and everything I personally ever wanted out of a burger.”
The menu is complete with six different types of burgers along with three different choices of sides. Dining services staff has worked throughout the semester to perfect the recipes.
“Prior to spring break, we were doing a lot of menu engineering to make sure we had the right items,” Flenoid said. “We tried out three different burger patties, different flavor blends that we were using on the meat, and we actually looked into different buns.”
B+F’s hours of operation currently mirror Zoca. The restaurant is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Meanwhile on Fridays, the hours are 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. There are plans to extend the hours once more staff are hired.
“Staffing was a major [problem] that’s been an issue across the industry,” Flenoid said. “We’ve been just trying to get the right fit to represent the brand.”
There are plans to improve the restaurant throughout the current semester and in the fall semester. Dining services hope to expand the menu, further renovate the restaurant and implement pagers to improve the customer experience.
“I actually see [B+F] being a transitional piece, not quite a restaurant rotation, but I don’t want it to become static,” Flenoid said. “New sauces are a big thing, [we plan on] bringing in different things like grilled chicken and different vegan options.”
The restaurant is located in between Which Wich to the left and Zoca to the right in Gina’s Cafe.
“I think it’s perfect, it compliments Zoca and Which Wich really well,” junior business management major Caleb Mckinney said.
