Terpzone has brought in more business than in past years, said Joseph Mullineaux, Dining Services senior associate director. Subway expanded its options by offering breakfast on weekdays, and more students have been using bowling lanes and pool tables.
Visitors unfamiliar with the campus may assume all Stamp Student Union has to offer in food and entertainment is right before their eyes as they enter — a coffee shop, a food court and a movie theater. Others venture a little farther.
Tucked away on the bottom floor is TerpZone, complete with a necessary fueling station to support students’ billiards and bowling nights: Subway. While it’s hidden away in the depths of Stamp, the secluded center is bringing in more business than in past years from students looking for active fun and healthy food, officials said.
“The smell of the bread baking brings people in,” said Joseph Mullineaux, Dining Services senior associate director. “It’s also a combination of it being a good value and a healthy choice — very popular among college demographics because everything is custom-made your way.”
This semester, Subway expanded its options to start opening for breakfast on weekdays, according to Mullineaux. And while students report they often see the pool tables and bowling lanes empty, Stamp officials said use has been on the rise. Last year, students spent 11,000 hours playing pool, more than double the 5,000 hours spent in 2010, according to student activities assistant director Joseph Calizo; As for bowling, there were 35,000 different games played, up from the 30,000 games played in 2010.
Students pay $5 for an hour at a pool table and $5.50 for a game of bowling, including renting shoes. However, Terp Zone prices are slashed with frequent specials, such as half-off Fridays.
“Although bowling and billiards consistently have done well, there has been a gradual decrease in the use of the arcade area,” Calizo said. “Most tokens are purchased during private reservations and we have only started tracking that information this year.”
Last year, the Terp Zone sold 22,000 arcade tokens, each costing a quarter. And while Terp Zone has become more popular, Stamp created a task force to assess its offerings and services, Calizo said.
“Recommendations from the task force should be forthcoming at the end of this fall,” he added.
For now, the student union’s offerings are good enough for freshman philosophy major Mike Payne, who comes down to the Terp Zone every day for a few hours before lunch to shoot pool. While he finds the billiard prices reasonable, he thinks most students just aren’t interested in playing.
“Probably most people come here for Subway,” Payne said. “I don’t think I’ve seen anyone use the arcade ever and I’m here every day,” Payne said.
According to Mullineaux, the mostp popular restaurant in Stamp is Chick-fil-A and Sushi by Panda Express lags behind as the least enticing to customers. The Subway line is often long enough to wrap around the kiosk’s corner, but several students said they think it would see even more business in the main food court.
“I personally only come here for Subway,” senior biology major Rob Maurer said. “After I get a sandwich, sometimes I’ll sit and watch the TVs, but other than that I’ve never had a reason to come down here … It would be a lot more convenient if it was upstairs.”
For many students, the trek down to Terp Zone is a daunting one. Sophomore environmental science major Sara Reedy said it’s a pain to get to the basement, which also holds the bottom floor of the University Book Center and the co-op.
“I come here a lot, but only for Subway,” Reedy said.
Most days, it seems like the majority of Terp Zone occupants are just there for the food, Maurer said.
“I don’t really feel it appeals to college kids,” he said. “Maybe billiards — there aren’t a lot of other options for that on campus. I’ve never seen anyone use the arcade.”
