Midday on a Thursday, the line at The Golden Bear Café, or GBC, snaked almost to the door, a familiar challenge for students with 10 minutes to spare at lunchtime. But nearly a mile away, in the tree-lined courtyards of Clark Kerr Campus, a new service offering grab-and-go food is being launched — with little line in sight.
On Tuesday, UC Berkeley Dining officially launched the “GBC Ghost Kitchen at Clark Kerr,” a pilot program designed to bring the campus’s most popular meals to Clark Kerr via the Grubhub app.
According to David Murray, the general manager of the Clark Kerr Dining Hall, the goal is both to increase the visibility of Clark Kerr and to give students more options.
“With there being the long lines at the other dining halls, especially GBC, we wanted to do something to also help boost recognition,” Murray said. “Maybe people don’t know about Clark Kerr because … you have no reason to come up here. We just want people to know that there’s another dining hall and more options.”
The “ghost kitchen” model, a food preparation facility intended only for delivery or pickup, allows students to skip the traditional lines and storefronts. Instead of swiping into the Clark Kerr Dining Hall, students can place an order on the GrubHub app and pick up their food at a dedicated pickup location.
The menu is a collection of GBC staples. Currently, the menu on offer includes items such as cheeseburgers, chicken tenders and chicken sandwiches, all served with the option of fries on the side and priced at $15.
While the food is identical to the recipes used at other campus locations, the payment method differs. For now, the program only accepts credit or flex dollars rather than standard meal swipes.
The new program launches as UC Berkeley Dining attempts to explore new service models and test how students engage with mobile ordering. Lindsey Michels, a campus spokesperson, emphasized that the project is still in an early pilot phase.
“UC Berkeley Dining will use this pilot to assess student interest and demand before making any decisions about future expansion,” Michels said in an email.
For students living in Clark Kerr, the addition provides a new alternative to their dining hall experience. For those in other parts of campus, Murray said he hopes the lure of a shorter wait might be enough to encourage students to walk up the hill.
“If you’re out this way for a reason, or you’re heading to classes, there’s probably no wait,” Murray said. “We’d be excited to see more people stop by and enjoy (Clark Kerr).”
Dining and Cooking