Dining Services reopens POD in Ottawa East as the Rocket Market

Carter Hall’s Provisions on Demand has re-opened and re-located to Ottawa East on Oct. 12, along with a fresh name: Rocket Market.

Carter Hall accommodated it last year but its closing caused the original POD to close as well.

The grand opening of Rocket Market hasn’t been held yet, according to Mario Toussaint, senior director of Operations — Dining and Nutrition.

“We are going to have a student-centered group that will be deciding on a little bit of a ribbon cutting ceremony, we’ll have a few prizes and kinda blow it out,” Toussaint said.

Toussaint continued to say several weeks of practice are needed for things to run smoother for the grand opening. Dining services is still training staff, stocking up goods and seeing what else they need or what the students need to make the POD experience better.

Matthew Schutz, a second-year mechanical engineering student says this new POD is much better than the old one and is not as cramped. He enjoys the setting and style of the new POD and likes the new selection of foods as well.

“It’s better; they have a wider selection, not to mention they have a new main food. Panini or something.” Schutz said.

Courtney White, a second year pre-pharmacy student, also liked it, commenting that the new POD is very clean, bright, and much bigger than the old one, but they do run out of stuff quickly.

“For what I get its fine, but yeah there’s no sitting area. It would be nice if there was but that’ll cost extra money,” White said.

The prices of food still remain the same, but a sign in the new location informs visitors on a new policy limiting the number of meal swipes to two per student.

“It’s to control abuse and mostly a food safety piece,” Toussaint said. “If people are taking different types of foods up to their rooms without refrigeration we have to do a little bit of control there. If there’s an excessive amount then I’m going to be accountable if there’s a food safety issue.”

Toussaint said the POD was relocated to Ottawa East because it had the best square footage and the best looking locale they could have chosen.

“It was already built. So really all it took was us to finish up the flooring and that took a month and a half or so and as soon as we had the keys in hand and got ready for people to walk through safely it only took about three days,” Toussaint said.

The new POD is located directly next to Ottawa East’s dining hall.