KANSAS UNIVERSITY STUDENTS Megan Fullagar, 22, a senior from Manhattan, and Nick Lawler, 21, a senior from Kansas City, Mo., eat lunch at The Underground. Pizza Hut and Chick-Fil-A are among the food establishments at the cafeteria.

Kansas University student Frances Boyer still remembers the crowded room, the long lines and limited choices last year at Wescoe Terrace.

The Underground, the newly-opened cafeteria at Wescoe, has been more accommodating for Boyer. She’s able to sit at her own table with her newspaper spread out and a chicken sandwich in front of her.

“I like it a lot better here,” Boyer said. “I like Chick-Fil-A. I like the extra seating because it was hard to get in here last year during lunch hour.

“I haven’t heard many complaints.”

Feedback on the Underground is important for Shant Thomas, marketing coordinator for KU dining services. Thomas said the university wanted students’ opinions on the project.

Before renovation began on The Underground, which opened in October, students were given surveys on what food they would like to see in the new cafeteria.

The overwhelming responses were pizza and chicken sandwiches. The university signed contracts with Pizza Hut and Chick-Fil-A, which joined four other businesses in The Underground.

“I know before there were concerns about the quality of the choices in Wescoe,” Thomas said. “We made it one of our key issues to get student input on what they wanted.”

So far the results have been positive. Thomas said the new Wescoe cafeteria had tripled its sales from the same month last year and more than doubled its management and staff to keep up.

“We thought it would do well,” Thomas said, “but it has surpassed even our own expectations.”

The Underground, which had its name picked in a student contest, was the first renovation to Wescoe Terrace since 1992. The project cost $1.4 million, supported by student fees and funds gained through retail stores on campus.

The cafeteria has also been able to succeed without pulling away customers from restaurants in the Kansas Union. Thomas said that after a relatively small dip in sales, The Market in the Kansas Union had maintained most of its business.

“The draw of the Underground is not siphoning our customers,” Thomas said.

But the Underground is not without some flaws. Some students have been frustrated with long lines during the noon hour, the busiest time for the cafeteria.

“Usually lines get stacked to where it’s completely full of people around here,” said Nidhi Patel, Underground cashier, “but I do the same thing as I do if it’s not busy, which is help people.”

Patel said some of the delay could be attributed to the registers, which are time-consuming when customers didn’t pay with cash.

“It’s usually the credit-card machines that people say go really slow,” Patel said. “Other than that, there aren’t many complaints.”

The Underground has also had to deal with theft. Employees have spotted some students walking out without paying for their food, while others simply eat it and throw the wrapper away before paying.

Thomas said The Underground was losing approximately $20 per day because of theft, and that many options were being evaluated to fix the problem, including the use of security guards and cameras.

“It’s not a significant problem, but it is definitely something that concerns us,” Thomas said. “We’re looking into options to curb the small number of people that do it.”

With its prime location in the middle of campus, Thomas expected The Underground to remain successful.

Kansas freshman Ming Lui agreed.

“I think students like it,” Lui said, “because it’s pretty crowded and there’s always a lot of people here.”