Written by Gregory Goetz
Ah, the notorious Chicken Finger Wednesday! Yes, USC students do get excited about a two-pound portion of chicken fingers and curly fries on the menu every Wednesday—plan time for a nap afterwards. Naturally, however, chicken fingers aren’t the only thing served at USC. With 24 different restaurant options, students enjoy a wide range of cuisines. The Russell House University Union houses a majority of these options, offering an authentic Italian restaurant, a gourmet sub shop, a smoothie bar, several fast food restaurants (including Chic-Fil-A, Burger King, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut), and the Grand Market Place (affectionately called the Gimp). Here students can find a hot food line, salad bar, grill, bakery, and sushi bar. Some of the academic buildings and freshman dormitories, such as Capstone, Patterson, and Bates have their own cafeterias so that students don’t have to go to the Russell House every time they want a bite.
Students generally seem to rate the food on campus anywhere from average to good. The main complaint is that it gets old after a while, which is understandable when you’re eating campus food anywhere from 10 to 21 times a week. Despite this, it seems hard to believe that a student would be unable to find something that he or she likes with all of the options available. USC has a variety of food for all different tastes, from the health buff to the junk food junkie. It may not be your mom’s home-cooking, but for campus food, most students find it pretty tasty, and with 24-hour dining Monday through Thursday in the Gimp, the hours are very student-friendly.