By Jacqueline Zuniga

This past fall semester, Cal Poly Humboldt opened up the Hinarr Hu Moulik dorms across the highway. With the complex came a new market, the 101 Express, which aims to offer residents food and everyday essentials at their convenience. 

The market is there to provide for the current 500 students who live at Hinarr Hu Moulik. This fall, resident sizes are expected to double. The market currently offers ready-to-eat food, soft drinks, household items, and personal care items. Enterprise Services, which oversees Dining, Bookstores, Children’s Center, Student Activities & Events has worked with housing to make the 101 Express accessible to students.

“We want the 101 Express to be a great place for students to find good food, beverages, snacks, and supplies,”  Senior Executive Director for Enterprise Services Todd Larsen said. 

The 101 Express’s hours vary throughout the week. Their hours are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. The university is considering the future of 24-hour self-checkout availability, but it’s still in the works because it requires a guarantee of no theft. 

“That would allow residents to key in with their mobile key or fob after hours,” Larsen said

With a new self-checkout machine, provided by Mashgin, customers can easily check out with signed credit cards, c-points, and meal-plan tenders. The machine is currently up and running, so customers can use self-checkout. One of these Mashgin machines costs about $1,000 a month just to operate. Places like Circle K, Shell, and AmPm are using this machine to make checking out faster. According to Mashgin’s website, the whole process should take about 5 seconds to complete. 

The opening of the 101 Express was a big investment for Cal Poly Humboldt. Like any other dining outlet on campus, the 101 Express is funded through student meal plans, retail and catering sales. In 2021, Humboldt collaborated with Chartwells Higher Education to transform the on-campus dining experience. Chartwell operates the 101 Express along with other campus dining locations. 

“The project cost to build and outfit the 101 Express was about $4 million, funded from Dining’s operational fund,” Larsen said. “They take on the operational costs, so we’re not involved in that.” 

Looking ahead, the 101 Express has some plans to add new features for students’ convenience. They also plan on adding in bike tire repair kits and accessories, given all the student bikes at the dorms. They want to add a make-your-own ramen station, more tables and chairs, as well as more grab-n-go options. 

Students can share their ideas or comments to help improve the 101 Express. Feedback sessions will be held on March 4 in the Mad River Room, Jolly Giant Commons 324. You can sign up for a slot to provide feedback and participants are given $20 dining coupons in return. You can also use the Text Us and Contact Us feedback methods, which include methods of communication with 101 Express.

Additionally, there are Dining Advisory Committee meetings each semester to gather feedback. 

“Or just chat with any of our dining team about ideas and suggestions,” Larsen said. 

Jacqueline is a journalism major, a news manager for KRFH and she aspires to be a sports journalist one day