By Maverick Marcellana and James Grech
Fooda, a catering service that offers a rotating selection of local restaurants, is being introduced to Long Beach State students this fall in an effort to bring more food options to a crowded campus.
The initiative by Associated Students, Inc., aims to provide students with a greater variety in quality of food choices while supporting local businesses, particularly in anticipation of upcoming renovations to the University Student Union.
These renovations will effectively close the USU in August 2025, according to Director of Commercial Business and Service Operations Iraida Venegas.
“We’re gonna be losing quite a bit of vendors during that construction period,” Venegas said.
Fooda’s pop-up model strives to serve as a pilot program to introduce students to new dining options and prepare them for the changes ahead.
Each day, a different restaurant will pop up on Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. offering a rotating taste of cuisine throughout the week.
The Fooda vendor tent can be found on campus Monday through Thursday between the University Bookstore and the Nugget Pub and Grill, pictured on Sept. 17. Students who stop by are met with a rotating variety of meals. Photo credit: James Gretch
Catering to the diverse student body is a key focus, according to Venegas.
“There’s always gonna be a vegetarian option,” Venegas said. “I know our campus also has a large community of vegetarians, so that’s also helpful.”
Venegas said Fooda would be on campus for, at least, the fall semester, with the potential to extend their current contract, depending on the success of the pilot program.
For now, it’s simply a trial run.
While food trucks are already an option on campus, Fooda was brought in to combat food deserts, which are areas where food trucks and campus eateries aren’t readily available on campus.
The hope is to create excitement by offering variety, with the convenience of familiar restaurants from the greater Los Angeles area.
Fooda also offers a mobile app, which enables users the ability to view upcoming restaurants, order ahead and collect rewards points.
Additionally, the app sends a message to users with the upcoming week’s offerings.
The pop-up received only a few visitors, but Venegas is hoping the program will gain traction by the time the USU undergoes renovations.
Fooda’s presence also benefits local businesses by providing them with a larger customer base.
Cuban Cravings, a Cuban restaurant, was one of the restaurants that made an appearance at CSULB, catering to the campus community.
Owners Amir and Janet Guzman said their food is made fresh everyday to make sure people are served the best they have to offer.
Cuban Cravings brings customers authentic Cuban food, serving bowls of rice and beans topped with a choice of beef or seasoned chicken.
So far, Janet said that she has been happy with the restaurant’s reception.
The owners have been in partnership with Fooda for about three months, popping up at locations in the Southern California region including SpaceX and Loyola Marymount University.
Amir recommends that businesses in the food industry give Fooda a try as his restaurant has been given great reception from the public.
He said that businesses should not be discouraged by sales, since locations can vary for a restaurant.
“If you’re negative, you’re not going to get the best experience. So be positive,” Amir said.
