Jun 27, 2015 04:21 PM EDT By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

Students at the University of Texas at Dallas will have a larger and more diverse range of dining options when they return to campus this fall, school officials announced.

Fall 2015 will usher in four fast-food choices will be added to the renovated Student Union Dining Hall, a second restaurant at Parking Structure 3 and an ice cream shop in the Comet Café. Renovations are currently  in progress to convert the Student Union Dining Hall into an open, food-court-style venue.

The new fast food options are Panda Express, Moe's Southwest Grill, a larger Chick-fil-A  and 2Mato, a pizza and pasta concept.

"We are excited to bring these new dining options to our University, and believe they will help us expand our menu offerings and services to better meet the needs of our campus community. It is Auxiliary Services' ultimate goal to enhance the student experience as seamlessly as possible," Bob Fishbein, assistant vice president of Auxiliary Services, said in a statement.

Each new retail venue will have its own cash register and checkout counter, which will increase efficiency. A Ben and Jerry's ice cream shop will take the place of the current Chick-fil-A location in the Comet Café. The Student Union Dining Hall will remain closed throughout the summer. The Comet Café and Outtakes Grab n' Go will be open for their summer hours.

"These renovations are part of our overall strategy to enhance the services available to our faculty, staff and students," said Dr. Calvin Jamison, vice president for the Office of Administration. "This is another important step in the transformation of our campus and creating the infrastructure and amenities needed to support our rapidly growing University."

School officials said the construction of IHOP Express is also underway.

All construction is expected to be completed in time for the start of the fall semester.

Also starting this fall, students with the Comet and Green meal plans will be able to take advantage of a new Meal Exchange program that allows users to trade one dining hall meal swipe per day for a retail meal combo.

"We want those on meal plans to be able to take full advantage of all the new retail offerings on campus," said Carrie Chutes, assistant director of food and retail services. "The Meal Exchange program helps us offer more variety, value and flexibility for our meal plan users." 

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