Students returning to NKU this week noticed something different about The Plaza, a mobile kitchen positioned in the center of it serving many their lunches.

According to Patrick Hannan, the resident district manager of Chartwells, the food truck will be open from 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. He also stated that the truck will be in service until the Callahan Bistro reopens, which he estimates to be October 1.

Hannan explained that the purpose for the mobile kitchen is to ease the crowd during lunch hours within the Student Union.

“The goal is to work to get a little bit of traffic outside of the Student Union at noon because we all know how bad that can get,” Hannan said.

In addition to a new menu each week, the truck is meant to be a speedy alternative to other campus dining options.

Menus are created based around the already existing dining locations. Hannan explained that the food truck is an opportunity for campus dining to offer variety.

“What we don’t want to do is repeat any of the many different concepts already in the Student Union,” Hannan said.

The food truck, which is compatible with meal swipes, also accepts cash. According to Celeste Manning, marketing director for Northern Kentucky University dining services, a student will receive a main dish, two sides and a can of soda per meal swipe.

As Hannan explained, the truck will remain in service despite the weather.

“A good thing to know is that if it does rain, we will be down in the [Student Union] basement,” Hannan said. “We also offer additional inside seating for those kind of circumstances.”

The mobile kitchen is just one of the programs that has been initiated because of the construction delays with the Callahan Bistro. Arnie Slaughter, the assistant interim vice president for student engagement and business operations, is sponsoring dining programs at Callahan for Northern Terrace and Callahan residents.