As the grand opening for the Barnes Center at The Arch nears, the Food Services staff at Otto’s Juice Box is simultaneously preparing for the big day and settling into their daily routine in the newest café on campus.
On Friday, September 13, the public is invited to the grand opening of the Barnes Center, where the staff at Otto’s Juice Box will provide free smoothie samples. A representative for KIND bars will also be on-site and will have free samples as well. The star of the show will be a cake in the shape of the new building, as well as SU’s famous carrot cake cupcakes.
The new café opened to the public on Monday, August 26, and offers seven different smoothie flavors, along with a make-your-own-smoothie option. A selection of iced and hot teas and coffees round out the menu, along with a regularly rotating selection of grab and go salads, fruits, and wraps.
Student input at a campus taste test led to the selection of the flavor options, and Food Services staff further perfected their recipes by sampling the smoothies among their employees, said Sue Bracy, director of Food Services.
There’s one more element yet to arrive in the café: A smoothie bike! In the spirit of combining healthy food and fitness, these gadgets are essentially stationary bikes with a twist. The blender containing smoothie ingredients is prepared as usual, but the blending process is only complete once the smoothie consumer pedals the bike, activing the blender. A delicious smoothie is still the end product, but the production involves burning a few calories first.
The smoothie bike is due to arrive in the next few weeks. Syracuse University community members can submit feedback about Otto’s Juice Box or any other Food Services location by contacting mealtalk@syr.edu.