SMC Cafeteria gets a much needed revamp

It's been 20 years since the school cafeteria has been updated. Strolling through the popular and noisy café, it is clear the pale aqua and light pink tables and chairs have served their time well over a couple decades.

"There's nothing special about it" says Charlotte Aleman, a sophomore business major, when referring to the current state of the cafeteria.

It's time for a makeover and finally the school café will be revamped just in time for the fall semester.

This summer the SMC cafeteria will undergo a complete dining room renovation. It will receive brand new flooring, a paint job, and furniture. The project is set to start on June 21 and will be completed just in time for fall semester by August 26.

Greg Brown, Facilities Manager says the new café will have "a warmer look, and more of a coffee house feel" to it. The booths will be taken out to make the space easier to arrange for special events. There will be around the same number of seats, however there will be round tables and some high tables with stools.

Brown says the old furniture will be donated to the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District and will be used at Santa Monica High School.

According to Brown, all four vendors will stay open during the summer, but the dining room section will be closed during construction. The project was purposefully placed during the summer semester so students can go outdoors in the warm weather to dine.

James Guhm, a sociology major, usually arrives early at SMC and says there is a "battle to get the booths by the windows in the morning." He thinks the café is comfortable but could definitely use a renovation.

Brown says the Associated Students have been asking for a remodel of the cafeteria for quite some time but have been unsuccessful because of a lack of funding. Over time the vendors and vending machines have accumulated enough to finally give the space a facelift.

The project is slated to cost $440,000, according to Brown.