Gourmet Grocer, the small market underneath Commons, is set to expand

For Penn students constantly on the go, fitting a quality meal into a busy schedule is about to get easier.

Gourmet Grocer, the on-campus retail market underneath 1920 Commons residential dining facility, is undergoing a process of expansion to incorporate a greater variety of hot and cold pre-made meals that are slated be available to the Penn community by the second week in February.

Among the additions to the menu are a variety of hot entrees, soups, a full salad bar and breakfast sandwiches. According to Bon Appetit retail manager Kyle Grizzard, there will also be a new section showcasing local food products.

Some students anticipate adding portable meals into their schedules.

“I will definitely use the new Gourmet Grocer on the go when I’m running to class to pick something up really quickly,” College freshman Sarah Fleming said.

Others are excited that the items will still be available for purchase using Dining Dollars, PennCash and SFS credit, along with regular cash or credit.

“I really like it because it gives you another option of where to use Dining Dollars,” College freshman Katherine Palmer said, who is currently on the “Best Food Fit” first-year dining plan, which provides students with 125 meal swipes and $500 in Dining Dollars per semester.

“Sometimes Houston will be closed, and I don’t want to go to a dining hall,” Palmer said.

The Gourmet Grocer is expanding in response to extra space that the Amazon@Penn center did not wind up needing to fill.

“This was kind of just a void,” Grizzard said. “As opposed to just being an empty space, we said, ‘well how can we partner this and expand the Grocer?’”