The renovated cafe in the South Campus Classrooms Building at UMSL will have a new look, new name and a new menu when it reopens in late April.
Ever wonder where elementary and secondary teachers go after the kids leave?
On any given day, you can find more than 100 of them in their role as graduate students at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. They spend two and a half hours in class, grab a snack from a vending machine and wait for the next class to begin. Add hundreds more nursing and optometry students doing the same thing and some of them might get cranky.
That’s about to end with the renovation of the Flamingo Lounge, the only spot where people can eat and meet with friends in the South Campus Classrooms Building.
“The Flamingo Lounge was last remodeled in the early ’90s,” said Benard Diggs, director of university center operations.
Crammed with vending machines, a microwave oven, tables and chairs, the space sports a black and white tiled floor and pink flamingos painted on the windows.
According to Diggs, who is coordinating the project, the café closed it’s doors Feb. 24 for a complete makeover including its name. Sodexo, the university’s food service provider and the Office of Student Life have teamed up to renovate the space and provide an attractive space with lots of healthy food options. The new space was designed by Carolyn Kuo, UMSL’s managing interior designer.
The café menu will include: salads, sandwiches, wraps, soup and a daily hot entrée. There will be soft seating, tables and chairs, new flooring, ceiling fans and chalkboard paint on the walls. Diggs said vending machines will be scaled back and installed in the hallway.The space is expected to reopen in late April.
A contest to rename the Flamingo is open to all current UMSL students and runs through March 23. The contest winner will receive a new Amazon Kindle and his or her name will be announced April 16 on the Student Life Facebook page. For more information on the contest, contact Miriam Huffman, assistant dean of students, at: huffmanmi@umsl.edu.
