The Hilltop is surrounded by a variety of restaurants. Chick-fil-A, Jimmy Johns, Stromboli’s, La Madeleine, Rolie Polie, Goff’s and Smoothie King – just to name a few. So what do all these restaurants have in common?
Well, for one they all offer students with a super size menu of lunch and dinner items, but they also all accept student’s Pony money. However, what used to be a convenience to students is becoming more of a hassle and complaint.
When Chick-fil-A opened on Hillcrest a few months ago, students waited in line for the tasty chicken tenders and fries. But why didn’t they just visit the same restaurant located downstairs in Hughes Trigg? Why hang out on campus for hours on end when the opportunity to enjoy the fresh air and stretch your legs is at your fingertips?
After sampling both locations it became clear why students will put forth the extra effort to cross Hillcrest for lunch. The new Chick-fil-A offers a more relaxing and inviting atmosphere, and a broader menu. Students can enjoy entire meals, salads and a large variety of desserts as they lounge in comfy booths and succumb to requests for drink refills. While the Hillcrest location does not accept SMU ID’s as a form of payment, it seems more and more students are pulling out cash and credit cards at the expense of a better overall meal experience.
Other issues fellow Mustangs are encountering when they use Pony are the broken machines at almost every restaurant. Jimmy Johns, a late night favorite for everyone, has even complained of the school’s laziness to fix the Pony machine. The chain is also complaining that the university is charging too much to participate in the program, and the restaurant’s sales are not worth the extreme association costs.
When students are constantly relying on having to carry nothing more than their ID to lunch, it becomes a hassle to learn they have to go somewhere else that will hopefully accept their only current form of payment.
Offering Pony money at other locations around campus could be a major positive. Sure, students live all along Hillcrest and on campus, but adding some other sit-down restaurants to the list would greatly boost business for these restaurants, as well as get students to explore the Dallas area. After all, we can’t all live in this little bubble forever.
The university has done a great job responding to previous complaints issued by students. Hopefully they take the initiative to solve this problem and restore the convenience that comes with the thin piece of plastic.
