The University of Houston Dining Services upgraded several campus locations over the summer in preparation for the fall semester.

Among the most significant upgrades UH Dining Services worked on was a facelift to Moody Towers Dining Commons. The facelift, which UH Dining Services is calling Moody 2.0, will lighten and brighten up the dining commons and involved re-training associates.

To make Moody Dining Commons brighter, the vinyl on the large windows is being removed to let in more natural light. Additionally, the black-painted walls will now be white.

“We’re also bringing the outside in by implementing a plant program. We’re bringing in different plants that can be kept alive inside,” said Alexcis Mendoza, UH Dining Services and Chartwells District Marketing Manager.

UH Dining Services is partnering with Tall Plants Houston to provide the plants and upkeep to ensure the plants thrive inside Moody Dining Commons. UH Dining Services estimates there will be 30 tall plants inside the common dining area

“We’re looking at fig trees and other different trees that can stand against pillars and really bring in some abundance to the Moody space,” said Mendoza.

Aside from aesthetics updates, Moody Dining Commons also added a new food station called Umami. The campus community can expect umami flavors from Asian and Indian cuisine.

Mendoza said the new umami station will also feature a new graphic wall that will showcase the flavors of the station.

Another food establishment getting an upgrade is Asado Burrito and Bowls in the Student Center South building. Asado will have both an aesthetic change and a menu change. The flavor profile will transform to be a Latin theme.

Senior Executive Chef Chad McDonald conducted extensive research to tweak the current Asado menu to fit the Latin flavor profile better. The campus community can expect plantains, new flavored rice options, taco menu options, and more.

“We’re going to overhaul this space because it’s a popular flavor profile already, but we wanted to represent it a bit differently and continue to increase our variety and options,” said Mendoza.

Visually, Asado will have new colored walls and plants to match the Latin theme.