Comfort Without Class
With PVCC’s Woodrow W. Bolick Advanced Technology and Student Success Center officially opening on Sept. 17, the fast-food style cafeteria, The Panther Grill, came with it. I had the opportunity to try some of the food served there, and I only have one general statement to make about it: what the Panther Grill lacks in food quality, it more than makes up for with lounging options.
The layout of the cafe is simple, but stylish and effective. It features a large semi-oval-shaped counter where people can both order food and drink or choose from a reasonable selection of snacks and breakfast items such as muffins or bananas. In addition, there are several handy menus placed directly at the register for the consumer to read over while ordering. When the cooks finished preparing my order, they called out both items and waited until I walked up to the counter to hand them to me.
I ordered a chocolate milkshake ($3.99) and a toasted ham and cheese sandwich ($6.99) with my total coming in at approximately $12.35 with tax. It’s worth mentioning that no sandwich option on the menu is seemingly set in stone in terms of what you can get with it, as the cashier taking my order asked me what kind of bread and cheese I wanted, the condiments for it, and whether I wanted it toasted or not. A word of warning regarding the milkshakes, however: there is only one size available, which I estimated to be around 20 ounces, so I would caution against ordering one if you’re not looking to ingest a lot of lactose and sugar.
Regarding the food quality, the size and taste of my doctored-up grilled cheese left a lot to be desired, especially considering the hefty $7 price tag that came along with it. The sandwich was wrapped in aluminum foil, causing the steam emanating from it to soak back into the bread and making it soggy. The milkshake, on the other hand, was tasty and well-balanced, and I found the $4 cost to be reasonable. I wish the grill had trash cans around the area, however; I was walking around with my cup and wrapper for a good three minutes before giving up and tossing my garbage in the can next to the entrance to the admissions section.
Though the cafeteria itself didn’t stand out in any way, the lounge around and above it was impressive. There are dozens of chairs and tables scattered around the grill, and the larger tables are conveniently placed near several wall outlets to allow individuals to charge their devices while relaxing or studying (which I saw plenty of while eating my food). The space behind the Panther Grill features four gender-neutral bathrooms that were clean and well-stocked, with a water fountain across from them.
The upstairs lounge area doubles down on the “comfort” element present on the second floor. In addition to even more of the aforementioned tables and chairs placed around the area, the space features an air hockey and pool table and a massive 90-something inch TV in the center of the lounge that a group of students had hooked up a Nintendo Switch to. After a quick chat with the students, I confirmed that they did, in fact, bring their console from home, so don’t go upstairs and expect to boot up Mario Kart whenever you want. Regardless, the space is the epitome of a true lounge.
Overall, despite the mediocre grub, The Panther Grill is the perfect spot for grabbing a bite to eat and get some studying or a hangout session in. I’ll give the food and drink a 6.5/10 and the space itself a 9/10.
