Freshly squeezed orange juice is back for sale at the Scotty’s convenience store at the HUB.

It’s one of several new food and beverage products that UC Riverside Dining Services recently added to its stores. Campus customers may have also noted some new sandwich, salad, and snack options this quarter.

Mary Ann Person, operations manager for the campus convenience stores, said Dining Services is constantly looking for new items that will appeal to its customers. They go to food shows to learn about the newest products or look for items based on what’s popular with students and employees.

Freshly squeezed orange juice had been one of the signature items sold at Scotty’s and campus coffee shops. But Dining Services stopped offering it during the pandemic due to logistical issues involved in its production, Person said.

“That was one of the things we always wanted to bring back,” she said. “We have alumni coming back to campus always looking for orange juice. There’s always been a demand for that.”

It’s now available only at the Scotty’s HUB location. The store uses a local produce supplier for oranges with the juice made fresh each day. Early each morning, an employee runs a box of oranges through a juicing machine and pours the juice into compostable plastic cups with the logo “Scotty’s.”

Another change at the Scotty’s stores, as well as the campus cafes, is a new supplier for sandwiches and salads in their grab-and-go section. The vendor, Bestway Sandwiches, provides a greater variety of salads in small, medium, and premium options with ingredients such as candied nuts and fresh fruits and sandwiches such as club, tuna salad, and chicken salad.

Scotty’s has also added a variety of cuisines such as a Mongolian waygu beef, frozen samosas, and a line of Filipino soups.

“One of our basic principles is food for all,” Person said. “We really want to provide a variety of products on campus so everybody can find their taste of home.”

The stores also are expanding popular snacks such as popcorn in a variety of flavors like Tabasco, different varieties of Sour Patch candy, and prawn crackers.

While each Scotty’s store has many of the same items, they tailor the stores to demands of customers at each location with some different selections, said Kurt Duffner, director of retail and restaurants for Dining Services.

For information on dining hours and locations, please visit the Dining website.