Returning USC students may have noticed a few changes at one of the most popular dining facilities on campus: Seeds Marketplace. The sandwich shop — which in the past has offered a plethora of grab and go options and an array of self-checkout counters — has experienced a total makeover, leaving many students wondering why.
The self-checkout is gone, replaced with a cashier stand. There are less grab and go options, more made-to-order products, and certain menu items can now only be bought using the mobile app. According to USC Hospitality, the “modernization” is based on feedback from customers and sales data. However, students have other theories.
When asked what he thought spurred the changes, Rhian Jones, a junior majoring in cinema and media studies, had a simple response: “Probably because people were stealing.”
He isn’t the only one.
“I think people did steal,” said Maddie Abiera, a senior in film production. Other students, like Jack Eggert, a senior business major, said that social media may have played a role in the alleged pattern of thievery.
“I never saw [stealing], but I heard about it on Sidechat all the time,” he said. “I’d always see people talking about how they’d steal from Seeds.”
USC Hospitality gave no response after being asked if theft played a role in the layout change. Instead, they said the changes were intended to “improve the overall speed of getting everyone through the line faster.” But students’ experiences so far have been less efficient.
Abiera said that the new Seeds checkout system is making it extremely busy and is “overwhelming” for students trying to grab a meal before class. The new cashier system has created a bottleneck — traffic within Seeds has been moving slower, creating long lines and even longer waiting times.
“It’s insanely crowded,” Abiera said. “I was too overwhelmed to figure it out. It’s making me more inclined to not go there at all.”
The layout isn’t the only change this semester. Seeds has also increased its prices, a decision that many students are frustrated with. Abiera said that chicken tenders, a popular student favorite, are now being sold by the piece.
Tara Moreno-Goodwin, a senior student studying public relations said that “custom salads are like $18 now when they used to be $13. But yeah, everything’s gone up.”
This leaves many students, like Moreno-Goodwin, to take their Dining Dollars to more budget-friendly options at alternative campus restaurants.
Student’s have also criticized the new menu’s lack of variety. USC Hospitality said that they kept “fan favorites” while adding even more choices.
“I was trying to see what options they had, they didn’t have a ton of stuff I wanted,” said Freshman psychology major Lily Morse. “I’m a vegetarian and saw they have a lot of chicken stuff, and I was like it’s not for me.”
Grayson Salomon, a sophomore journalism major added “It looks more empty in there [...], it looks like everything got smaller, there’s less stuff.”
Meanwhile, students new to USC are more optimistic about the Seeds experience. Malina Freeman, a computer science major said, “I really like [Seeds]. I’ve only gotten the Salmon Teriyaki bowl. I thought [the process] was really smooth. I just ordered online through the app.”
Only time will tell how these changes will affect Seeds’ popularity in the long term. Despite the criticisms gathered, there are still plenty of students inside dealing with the traffic and paying up the extra money for their meals.