Just in time for the school year, Simpson College debuted the newest addition to its on-campus dining options: Sub Connection.

The restaurant chain, which is operated by Simpson’s contractor Sodexo, offers students a variety of sandwiches, wraps and salads with an extensive selection of pastries and desserts. 

Despite having been in operation for less than a week, Sub Connection has quickly become one of the most popular dining locations on campus. Its balanced menu makes it the ideal spot for students to order a healthy meal, indulge in some comfort food, or simply grab a quick snack. 

Some of the most popular menu items include the turkey and swiss sandwich, the chicken caesar salad, and the chocolate chip cookie. 

“I really like Sub Connection. It’s nice to be able to grab what you want and go,” sophomore Paige Nygaard said. “As a vegetarian, it’s nice to have a variety of options, too. I get the Veggie Provolone Sandwich.”

In an effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, Sub Connection is currently offering a limited menu, which consists of exclusively premade sandwiches and wraps. This will be Sub Connection’s protocol as long as Simpson College remains in the orange phase. However, if conditions improve, Sub Connection intends to unveil its full menu later this fall. 

“The dining staff has been slowly increasing menu options within the space as well as adding the finishing touches to the physical makeover, and they will continue to do so as we move further into the semester,” Dean of Students Luke Behaunek said in an email. 

In theory, students will be able to choose from a variety of bread, cheeses and sauces to craft their personalized sub, wrap or salad. An extended menu could also possibly include soup and other specialty items.

In yet another alteration to Simpson’s dining options, Sub Connection has also become the new home of the popular C-Store, a snack shop that features everything from gummy bears to beef jerky. The C-Store was previously housed in Tyler’s.

The arrival of Sub Connection comes after Simpson decided to cut ties with the fast-food chain Au Bon Pain. Differences of opinion on pricing and menu customization led the college to seek out similar dining options, which resulted in the decision to open Sub Connection.

“Two of the primary concerns we would hear consistently about ABP was the inflexibility of the menu and the pricing,” Behaunek added. “Moving away from a national chain allows us to be more creative within the space and have better control over pricing.”

Sub Connection’s current hours of operation are from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. The store is located in the Kent Campus Center between Tyler’s and Red Mango.