In Philadelphia, locals fight over the best Philly cheese steak in town – Pat’s or Geno’s. Chicagoans vehemently defend either Giordano’s or Lou Malnati’s as the best deep-dish pizza in the city. In Buffalo, it’s the original chicken wing at the Anchor Bar or its competitor, Duff’s.
Students at UB’s North Campus have their own food rivalry: Governors versus C3.
Student’s can choose from UB’s 30 eateries and three dining centers between North and South Campus. But everyone has a favorite.
Governors Dining Center in Governors Hall was remodelled this year to provide improved facilities for diners and employees. Crossroads Culinary Center (C3) in the Ellicott Complex opened two years ago as the newest dining center on campus, replacing the Richmond Hall dining center, according to Raymond Kohl, the marketing manager of Campus Dining and Shops (CDS). South Campus hosts Main Street Market Dining Center.
For some students, C3 is their ‘go-to’ place to eat. It features eight food stations and allows students to experience African, Caribbean, Italian and other types of cuisine all on one plate.
“C3 is much better than Governors because it has a wider variety of cuisines to choose from,” said Scott Bui, a freshman physical therapy major. “Nothing can surpass their pasta and the beef quesadillas are unmatched. I eat so much that I end up farting a lot, though.”
Even when Governors “serves good food, it is actually not good at all,” said Dillon Smith, a sophomore economics and political science major.
Eliz Arnavut, a freshman biomedical science major, disagrees.
“Governors’ food quality is not as bad as everyone thinks it to be,” Arnavut said. “The steaks during the Prime Rib Night were absolutely delicious. C3 is sometimes overrated.”
When Governors served chicken wings on Sept. 18, Arnavut said her craving for the Buffalo staple was fulfilled.
“[I’ve] never seen [chicken wings] at C3 during the past month,” she said.
The location of Governors is more convenient for Megan Creen, a freshman biomedical engineering major. She acknowledges C3 has more options than Governors, but she prefers to eat breakfast at Governors.
This year, Kohl said he aims to “bend the trend” of food on campus and decrease the polarization between C3 and Governors. Governors is doing more action, or live, cooking and serving rich grain salads this year. C3 will occasionally serve breakfast food for dinner as a special treat.
“We’re trying to bring more of Governors to C3 and more of C3 to Governors,” Kohl said.
Smith believes students should eat at UB’s dining centers even if they are not satisfied with the quality of the food and service.
“Eating is now not only about nourishment of the body, it’s a social activity; a way to meet friends, or even study,” he said.
No matter which dining hall underclassmen choose to spend their meal swipes, Kohl said the CDS staff is committed to catering to students’ needs. He hopes dining hall attendees will enjoy their meals in both C3 and Governors.
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Photo: Courtesy of Aryan Sawant and Christo Abraham
