Today marks the scheduled opening of the latest addition to Arizona Stadium’s North End Zone Project, Bear Down Kitchen, which aims to see students “eating with the athletes.”
The kitchen, built through a joint effort between Arizona Student Unions and the athletics department, combines the departments’ collaborative vision of a casual eatery to be shared by student athletes and the general public.
Located on the fourth floor, the kitchen is contained within wide glass windows, overlooking its surrounding landscapes. To the north, students and athletes can take in a view of the Catalina Mountains. The southern end of the kitchen overlooks Bear Down Field.
Bear Down Kitchen opens its doors each morning at 7:30, and will offer a wide variety of all-you-can-eat breakfast. Eggs, hash browns, biscuits and gravy, sausage, bacon and waffles are among the restaurant’s breakfast menu items. An extensive breakfast menu aims to cater to students who live on campus.
Students who are looking for healthier lunchtime meal options can help themselves to an all-you-can-eat salad bar. As for more hearty meals, the kitchen also provides a build-your-own-sandwich station and a rotating hot line.
Zack Baker, the restaurant’s head chef and manager, didn’t mince words about his goals for Bear Down Kitchen. He added that the current menu is quite extensive even in the restaurant’s first semester.
“One of my future goals is to make the best pizza and steal the business from other eateries on campus,” Baker said. “We’re pretty excited, we have quite a few different menu options.”
Additionally, the restaurant will serve pizza, hamburgers and calzones, and will incorporate Asian menu items.
The kitchen will serve breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday until 1:30 p.m. The restaurant will be closed to the public on game days to host prospective recruits, said Jason Tolliver, director of Arizona Student Unions.
Students who are interested in checking out the wide variety of menu options can pay multiple with methods of payment, including CatCard, CatCash, credit or debit card, or cash.
Baker’s future for Bear Down Kitchen remains clear.
“My goal is to make this restaurant the most popular one on campus,” Baker said. “We already have a pretty extensive menu and in the next semester we’ll really have an idea of what people like.”
