As part of Sodexo’s mission to expand dining options for students on campus, company officials and WVU Athletics have developed plans for a new dining club in the Coliseum.

The new project, deemed the Coliseum Apron Club, was approved by the WVU Board of Governor’s in a meeting last month, establishing another dining option for student-athletes and donors.

The new club will be located adjacent to the Gold Gate and near the existing Sodexo kitchen, according to Shauna Johnson, communications director for WVU.

The club will consist of a training table space for students-athletes in the Olympic sports and a club space for premium seat holders and donors.

In the future, the club may also be available for renting by the general public, similar to other University facilities, Johnson said.

She added that the club’s design will also include a large dining area, renovations to the existing kitchen and installation of new equipment to diversify and improve the food choices.

The design process for the dining club will begin this month with construction starting in March and lasting until October.

The project will be funded through the Sodexo Athletic agreement, with $7 million worth of the company’s funds going towards the club.

Sodexo strives to be the best campus dining program, according to WVU Dining Services District Manager Michael Dahl.

Last school year, The Daily Athenaeum reported on dozens of health violations found in WVU dining locations, which included moldy soda machines and 94-degree freezers.

One student was also served raw chicken at a WVU dining hall last year, leading to outrage amongst University students and parents.

Since then, Sodexo has been working on improving their dining locations by creating a more sanitary and more diverse dining experience for WVU students.

And the spring semester has already brought new options to students' plates.

Last week, “Chopped” Chef Aarón Sánchez joined WVU in opening the new Mexican dining station at Cafe Evansdale.

According to school officials, Sodexo wants to diversify dining options with no extra cost to students and is always looking to improve its food quality and dining experience.

Part of this is gaining feedback from students.

Last semester, Sodexo released a new communication service named “MyDTxt” for students to give feedback and receive real-time responses.

To keep track of WVU dining and Sodexo news, visit the Sodexo/Dining Hall Coverage section on the Daily Athenaeum website.