Cameron Renaud                                                                                                                                            Renaud 1                                                                                                      

Professor Bullock

WRD 110 Section 29

19 September 2012

The Other Side of Ovid’s

                Just about every student to come through the University of Kentucky since the new William T. Young library opened has most likely heard of, if not eaten at Ovid’s café on the back side of the library. Ovid’s versatile hours and wide arrangement of food makes it a very popular place to eat on campus.   Although Ovid’s appears to be nothing more than a place for a quick bite to eat, Ovid’s actually utilizes its ideal location and friendly environment to make a great place to get away and socialize,  which in turn sends  a message inviting customers to come more often and stay longer. These perks then transfer to Ovid’s large success on campus.

                One of the most important and overlooked aspects of Ovid’s success is its location. The fact that it is connected to the largest library at the University of Kentucky plays into Ovid’s success exponentially. The Students at the University of Kentucky will naturally already be spending plenty of their time in the library which makes Ovid’s the most logical spot to stop and grab something to eat if they are at or leaving the library. Ovid’s is also placed on the side of the library closer to the dorms making for easier access for the student passing by. The fact that it is on the back side of the library also makes it a much more relaxing spot to sit down and eat. The customers no longer have to look at the large Paterson Office Tower that reminds them about their classes, but instead they get to enjoy a relaxing view of a nice open field to help them forget about the stresses of class and relax.  

 

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Students don’t just pass by Ovid’s when they are leaving or going to the Library either. Ovid’s happens to fall right off the path that most freshmen at the University of Kentucky take to class each morning. The main dorm complexes for freshmen at the University of Kentucky are located on the southernmost part of campus, with the majority of the classes being on North and Central campus. The William T. Young library and Ovid’s sit right in between the dorms and class. This makes Ovid’s a very tempting spot for freshmen to stop and grab food or a drink on their way to or from class. The fact that it is in between where most of the freshmen live and their classes is a very important fact versus if it was in between an older student’s house or apartment and their class. This is because “Students living in a Residence Hall are automatically enrolled in the Minimum Dining Plan for the 2012-2013 academic years as part of the housing contract.” So the students in the dorms will automatically have “5 Meals per week and a total of $300 Flex Dollars per semester” at minimum that they will want to take advantage of, and what better place to use the meal plan than the café the pass on their way to class (Dining Plans). 

                The location doses more than just provide a convenient spot for the students to stop and grab something to eat. It also allows the student to have a place to get away and relax. After students spend long hours studying in the library they want more than food on their break, they want to relax. Ovid’s also satisfies the relaxing aspect that students are searching for. With so many people coming to Ovid’s due to its location it is very common for students to run into people they know and stop to get something to eat with them. This aids to the relaxing aspect that Ovid’s provides to its customers. The relaxing and social aspect that the location of Ovid’s provides helps to keep the customers and in Ovid’s Longer and encourage them to come back more often. 

                In tandem with the location aiding in Ovid’s success the wide arrangement of food selections that Ovid’s provides helps to bring in customers and make them feel comfortable. The creator of Ovid’s

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truly thought about every possible customer that could pass through to get something to eat. The creators made the assumptions about the customers that there will be people stopping in who want a vegetarian version of the food or a different variation of the meal than what is on the menu. This aspect is mostly overlooked and taken for granted by the customers. This wide variety of food makes Ovid’s more inviting to the customer as well as making them more comfortable and relaxed. For example the “campus favorite” at Ovid’s, the spicy beef wrap, is almost the exact definition of a comfort food. “Freshly made, the spicy beef wrap is crispy on the outside and cheesy on the inside, filled with Philly meat cooked to perfection with fresh toasted pepper and onions (or not, for the picky ones), and a special juicy, mysterious sauce that overflows the tomato wrap as you bite into it (Eldorado).” This comfort food is so popular “among students that has been on the menu for six years, the spicy beef wrap is ordered 150 to 200 times on a regular day (Abreu).” and is perfect for a filling and satisfying meal after spending a long time in the library of coming back to the dorms after a long day of class. Even some worker’s say, “I still enjoy eating at Ovid’s even after working here for a while. There are so many different options on the menu I am able to switch up what I get often enough to not get tired of it (Bitter).” This large variety of food is a very large contributor to why Ovid’s gets so many customers coming back year after year. The variety of food also helps the customers relax and feel more comfortable because they can always find something on the menu that will satisfy what they are craving at the time.

The actual food Section of Ovid’s is also set up in a personalized way to make it more inviting for the customers. As soon as a customer enters the ordering section of Ovid’s they are greeted with large light green signs that hang over each booth serving food. Each sign is limited to only a few different choices of similar foods to make the ordering as easy as possible. The letter on the signs is also made

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large enough for just about anyone to read as soon as they walk in so they are not forced to stand right below the signs to try to figure out where to go and what the options are. For the food options that are meant for the vegetarian crowd there is are also signs next the food so that they can be picked out very easily. Also on the signs are the prices equally as large as the lettering and the sides and drink options that are paired with the food for the meal plans that many UK students use. Ovid’s makes all the sections for food as easy as possible for the customers so that the customers can have a relaxing easy time while they order their food.

                The interior and exterior setup of Ovid’s also plays into Ovid’s success and is a major factor that makes it such a relaxing place for students to come socialize while they are getting something to eat. From the outside of the library most people would not even truly be able to tell that there is a café built into the side of the library. There is no change in the design of the library or any large signs indicating that there is a place to eat. The only sign that would give away the fact that it is a café is the seating outside that allows the customers to relax and enjoy themselves on a nice day. This is because Ovid’s is pretty much primarily set up to serve the students at the University of Kentucky. The inside of Ovid’s is also set up to be a relaxing comfortable place to get away. The seating arrangement inside is set up to accommodate any sort of crowed wanting to go eat, from just one student walking back from class to a large group of friends wanting to get some food together. The seating ranges from small single square tables, to medium circular tables, larger rectangular tables that can be pushed together end to end and even both seating. This seating makes it comfortable for any sort of group to go in and enjoy their food while relaxing.

Along with the food options being very easy for the customers to order the setup of the food section is also planned out to make the customers feel as relaxed as possible when they are ordering.

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The booths for the food are placed in a semicircle with the most popular food choices at Ovid’s placed in the middle of the area so that the customers will have the most room to stand while ordering their food, and the other two main options for food are on both sides of the gills. Both walls perpendicular to the semicircle of food are mirror images of each other. With both of them having all the drinks and sauces that the customer could possibly want with their food. This way the customer doesn’t have to cross all the lines just to get what they want with their meal. The checkout lines are also on both sides of the room for the same reason as the placement of the drinks and sides. There are also two cashiers on both sides to make the checkout as easy as possible for the customer so that they can go sit down fast and be able to relax and enjoy themselves.  All of these factors in the setup of Ovid’s are there primarily to make the customer feel as comfortable as possible when they are getting their food, and since the customers are comfortable they are much more likely to come back again enjoy their visit.

                The theme inside of Ovid’s also proves that Ovid’s is more than just a place to grab something to eat. The modern set up and color scheme is a vivid contrast to the bland old classrooms that the students spend most of their day in. The light green walls and signs in Ovid’s help to create a more calm relaxing feeling that isn’t overwhelming for the customers. The natural glossy granite tables give a cleaner feel to the to the room that makes it much more inviting to sit down and enjoy a meal with other students wanting to get away from the grind of class. The lighting inside of Ovid’s is also a major factor that makes Ovid’s a more relaxing pace to enjoy a meal and relax. During the day Ovid’s depends mostly on the natural light from the large windows overlooking the open field outside. The natural light helps to create a much more relaxing feel to the space than the bright pounding florescent lights that hover over the students all day in class and in the rest of the library. At night the lighting is also still

 

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dimmer than the rest of the buildings on campus. The lights on the wall surrounding the room provide a much more relaxing feel than strong overpowering lights glaring down from above.

Another factor that makes Ovid’s a great place to relax and get away is the employees that work there. The majority of the time the employees are students working to make the food and keep the space clean. The employees all seem to have a congenial disposition that helps to make for a friendlier space to go into and relax. The employees also truly enjoy working there. The employees will vouch for how they enjoy working there with one saying, “It is nice job to have during school. The hours are built around my class schedule and I still get to be around my friends while I am working. The job also allows me to meet a lot more people at UK who I probably wouldn’t have the chance to meet if I didn’t work here (Bitter).” Ovid’s always has enough employees on hand to make sure everything runs as smooth as possible for the customers. The fact that most of the employees are students makes it much easier for the customers to communicate with the workers and feel comfortable being around them.  Being comfortable with the employees obviously has a major impact on letting the customers relax and enjoy themselves while they are there eating.  The workers uniforms also help to play into the more comfortable feeling. All the employees have matching black collared shirts with gold name tags. The nice shirts and fancier nametags help to create a professional feel to the dining experience. After all no one would want to have people making their food with an old t-shirt on with a handwritten nametag on a sticker which as aids in making the customer feel comfortable eating there.

                There are many factors that go into every space that help to get more of a message across to the intended user than what is visible at first sight. Every detail helps to play into getting the proper tone and feeling for a space just right from the lighting used in the space, to the color of the walls, and even the shape of the tables. Everything is made that the way it is for a reason.  In Ovid’s case the

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creator didn’t want just another dull place to grab some food and get back to business. They wanted a place for students at the University of Kentucky to be able to go to and get away from the grind of college life and enjoy themselves. After thinking about these underlying reasons for everything in Ovid’s it is almost impossible to ignore that Ovid’s was created to be more than just a place to eat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

                Abreu, Jennifer. " Secret behind the spice: Ovid’s spicy beef wrap | The Kentucky Kernel." The Kentucky Kernel | University of Kentucky's daily student newspaper.. N.p., 25 Jan. 2012. Web. 17 Nov. 2012. <http://kykernel.com/2012/01/25/secret-behind-the-spice-ovids-spicy-beef-wrap/>.

 

Bitter, Matthew. Personal interview. 13 Nov. 2012.

 

“Dining Plans." Information for the 2012-2013 academic year. N.p., 27 Sept. 2012. Web. 17 Nov. 2012. <www.uky.edu/DiningServices/diningPlans.html >.

 

Eldorado, Johnny “Spicy Beef Wrap Scandalized” The Colonel 4 March 2009: A1