Temaki and Tea will move to a new location on Presque Isle Avenue starting in the Fall 2011 semester.
The building where Temaki and Tea will be was once a Hardee’s restaurant and is being renovated for Temaki and Tea and the smoothie franchise Smoothie King. The restaurant will be open after March 7, 2011.
The money to refurbish the building is coming from Dining Services revenues, said Greg Minner, Dining Services director.
“The building was purchased about two years ago and the university offered a request for proposal to community members to lease it or put some kind of business in there,” Minner said. “No one took the offer so the university and Dining Services decided to do something with it.”
This renovation is part of the Road Map to 2015 as part of expanding the university, said Gavin Leach, vice president of finance.
“From time to time there are changes made to the university,” Leach said. “We have a lot of students and faculty at that end of campus, so we wanted a more central location for everyone.”
Along with moving Temaki and Tea, smoothies will also be available to purchase.
Smoothie King offers healthy smoothies and meal substitutes. A smoothie place was decided on because of the restaurant’s proximity to the PEIF and the dome.
“Many students around there want a healthy option, and Smoothie King offers healthy smoothies along with meal replacements,” Minner said.
The building is technically still on campus because the building is owned by the university, so students will be able to use their Dining Dollars to purchase items, Minner said.
“By moving Temaki and Tea out of Hedgcock, it gives us the opportunity to grow. Hedgcock is not set up to sustain a food service,” Minner said.
In the place where Temaki and Tea is currently in Hedgcock, there are three possible options, Minner said. Dining services is currently in discussion with a licensed bagel company.
“Because the Hedgcock building closes at 5 p.m., Temaki and Tea has to close then, too,” Minner said. “We want to put something in its place that will be focused on breakfast and morning foods.”
By moving Temaki and Tea to a more centralized location, it will be more accessible to the community, which is important because about 30 percent of revenue comes from members of the community, Minner said.
The work on the building started last week and will be completed by mid-January, said Jim Thams, project manager.
“There will be booths and tables along with lounge chairs,” Thams said. “We want to make a place where students can hang out.”
The cosmetic renovations will include new flooring, light fixtures and paint. There will be no structural changes to building, Thams said. There will be a fireplace in the dining area.
One main change to the building will be a patio that will be placed between the building and the road, Thams said. The patio will include benches, seating and lights. The drive-through will also be used.
“The building will have wireless internet as part of the NMU network,” Thams said. “The building will also be outputted with wire jacks for people who are not part of the NMU network.”
The larger kitchen and work space means that the menu will also be expanded, said Nathan Mileski, corporate executive chef.
“We will be able to serve more upscale sushi rolls because we will have more equipment,” Mileski said.
Larry • Jun 8, 2011 at 11:42 am
The problem that a lot of people are having isn’t necessarily that they moved it off campus but that it’s out in the community and they don’t have to pay taxes. Since it’s still a part of the university, they don’t have to taxes and that means that they can keep costs down — making it impossible for other businesses to compete.
Although, I have to say, I’ve tried Smoothie King and I love it. It’s a little weird that it’s surrounded by sushi, but it’s still really good.
jw • May 11, 2011 at 6:29 pm
Please…as a former NMU student, I could not be happier that they are moving this great restaurant off campus. They have great food! As a working professional, I can never enjoy it because of the terrible hours. Now, I can grab dinner from this awesome establishment! Thanks NMU for the move. I know a lot of working people that will be excited that Temaki’s great menu will be accessible to us! Stop complaining! NMU saw a great opportunity and went for it! I CANNOT WAIT FOR SOME SUSHI!
Danny • Nov 18, 2010 at 3:54 pm
Temaki’s current location is great. Its right in the middle of campus. Its a really nice atmosphere up there on the second floor plus it has a great view. Its a quiet and pleasant place to eat and talk. Now they will turn it into a run of the mill fast food joint stuck on a busy street. Great job NMU. Take a good thing and wreck it just because you can squeeze more money out of it. If Hardees flopped in that spot, what makes you think that a speciality Asian restaurant will make it? Asian restaurants appeal to fewer people than burger joints.
Zach • Nov 18, 2010 at 11:05 am
Please keep the corporate chains out of Marquette. The fact that the city is not is over-infested with corporate chains is what makes this place special. Dining services couldn’t figure out how to develop a smoothie shop without looking to corporate America? That seems ridiculous. Even if dining services food usually sucks, I didn’t think they were that dumb. I mean, it’s not that hard to make a smoothie. We don’t need anymore corporate contracts on campus. The coca-cola contract is bad enough.
Danny • Nov 18, 2010 at 9:21 am
How in the world does moving this great little place way over the Presque Isle make it more centrally located? It now even further from the residence halls on Wright St. Does anyone in Cohodas have any common sense? Dumb. Just plain dumb. All it does is make it easier for the Cohodas adminstrators to get there.
Louis • Nov 18, 2010 at 8:53 am
I like the idea of moving Temaki there for people at the PIEF, but I also really like Temaki where it is.
I will still probably never go to Temaki for dinner, so extended hours are pretty meaningless to me. It’s a good place to go for lunch, and the centralized location on campus was very nice to have. The ability to grab a hot meal after a class in TFA, McClin, or JXJ was what made Temaki’s location nice. Now the only option for students seeking a hot meal in the center of campus is Fieras. Also important to note, is that Fieras will also be the only place to get an a la carte hot meal with the changes made to the den – I’m not talking about the overpriced grab and go here. Well, at least the bigwigs in Cohodas will be a bit closer to a meal.