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The Campus Center Food Court, BaLe at Mānoa Garden and Taco Bell on the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa campus are each sporting a new, modern and green look.

“Definitely time for an update at our locations so we just wanted to offer a variety of seating for our students,” said Erika Johnson, a marketing intern for Mānoa Dining Services managed by Sodexo.

Over the Christmas break, Mānoa Dining Services replaced the 20-plus-year-old furniture with brand new tables, chairs and benches and added some higher tables and bar stool type seating.

“I really like it,” said UH Mānoa student Brandon Kobayashi. “I like how it’s new, everything is new, it’s not old anymore.”

“It kind of gives a feel like the new generation and it’s updating from the old furniture,” said fellow student Stephanie Rudolph. “It’s nice.”

“Looks modern, looks very sleek and just 2013,” added Johnson.

It is a year of more seats—129 more chairs in the food court that now seats 382 and Mānoa Gardens increased its seating by 25 to 114 chairs.

Mānoa Dining Services also made sure the update was good for the environment. The old furniture was recycled and the new tables are made from recycled wood fiber with a laminate made of soybean and corn. And the chairs students are sitting on in Taco Bell are green in more ways than one.

“They’re sitting on a 111 recycled soda bottles in each single chair, so about 17,000 bottles in all for all the chairs that we did,” said Johnson.

“It’s good that we’re starting to use like reusable products and stuff like that,” said UH Mānoa student Joyce Gazmen. “Helping the world one step at a time.”

All for cost of about $390,000, which also included new carpet.

Bottom line, there are a lot of reasons for dining patrons to appreciate the new furniture.

“I really like these high tables,” said Randolph laughing. “Because they make me feel tall. Because I am really short.”

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