The Lair Marketplace

I wish I could give zero stars. Long story short it takes on average 30 minutes for terrible food. The staff are rude and unsanitary and everything is over priced. Avoid at all costs.

Who would have ever thought I would be giving a review of a college food service center since I’ve been out of college since 1986? Anyway was at LMU for a meeting and decided to give it a try… not bad. I had meatloaf, mashed potatoes, gravy and broccoli. It rocked… but to top it off I had pudding and whipped cream for dessert! The place was packed with kids at summer camp, but they all wanted pizza and burgers… their mistake!

Really not my first choice… Or second choice… Or even tenth choice. I just eat here because I have no time to grab a bite off campus. The service is bad and the ingredients are not good quality and sometimes not well stored. I had food poisoning a couple of times and last time I kept on vomiting constantly for 5 straight days. I have no idea how a company is capable of serving this kind food «with pride». I was really hoping that a new company would get in charge by the beginning of 2015 but unfortunately Sodexo somehow managed to stay.

Decent food. Gets old really fast. The employees are spotty. There are some that are nice but others that are just mean. Also incredibly pricey for what you get. Community table is hit or miss as well.

Being a student who attends on your layer is one of the best options on campus. It has a good diversity of food, of course you’re going to get tired of some of the dishes, but it’s still very enjoyable. Polaris has a friendly staff and they know that some students are in a hurry and get them three lines quickly. Aside from the some very slow stations where is ultimately a good place. Sure I would never go here for fun or as a dining experience, but when compared to other college and high school cafeteria is it stacks up pretty well. Four out of five on how it is compared to others not on the quality of restaurant.

The Lair is great but line cooks at Ignite Grille have workflow/​process problems. It takes 30 minutes to get anything! Why? Because the workers make one order at a time instead of reviewing 10 tickets for similar orders and making 5 burgers at once. It’s killing me, my lunch break is 30 minutes and if I go here I cannot eat. I just stand around for 25 minutes and finally request they cancel my order. On the plus side, they have gluten-​free burgers! THANK HEAVENS! But I have yet had the time to try one. I wonder if they are good? I want one right now.
Salad — They have 2 salad stops. One is a bar with ancient grains, lettuces and the usual salad bar stuff. The other salad spot you order off a prefix menu. They are yummy but only offer a few. I wish they offered like 12. What? I’m a total gluten-​free and dairy-​free salad hog. We all have our needs, don’t judge.
Soup — They have soup! This is a big deal. Students don’t even realize there is soup hiding around that nook between the soda and salad. It’s there! EAT IT NOW! At breakfast time hot cereal is there. Soup is a really wonderful thing and I cannot be happier than when I have access to soup for lunch. Only problem is now that my doctor has me eating gluten-​free and dairy-​free these soups are no longer an option for me. I know… my life sounds super rough. Fortunately, I can go home after work and make soup for dinner. But what about the students that want dairy-​free and gluten-​free soup as much as me? The poor dears will have to find a way in the dorms. Sounds like a good excuse for a SOUP PARTY!
I think they should add 2 more soups to the daily menu. It would be heavenly if everyday they offered a vegan high protein soup, a vegetarian potage, something classic/​Americana or classic/​International (where’s the miso and mulligatawny?) and something meaty for the manimals. It’s just my vision of the perfect soup bar, free of charge, for those in charge to run with. Go! Just do it.
Sushi — They have Inari which is so comforting.
Mexican — not recommended. Where the hell is the chilies and spices? I demand they redo all the recipes and add some Mexican spices. I demand this right now. Is there cumin in the black beans? I didn’t think so. Are there jalapenos in anything? Well, I did not taste it. Add more, add more I say! Cilantro is a garnish to be expected. It’s not optional.
Pasta — Gluten free pasta. Thank you, LMU/​Sodexo.
Cashiers — Be wary, one should not be in customer service. Just one. All the others are dears.

The first week I got to LMU, I came to the Lair thought «YEAH! So many options!» By the end of the week, I was thinking «there is nothing to eat on campus…» I don’t eat fried food like wings or much red meat like hamburgers, so my options on campus are limited to the Lair and Jamba Juice. Believe me, I’m grateful to even have food available to me, but I can only eat so many bowls of salad.
At first I was making my own salad every day, until I realized that every time after I had a salad I would get a stomachache. So I gave up on the salad bar and moved onto pasta. I got nauseous soon after eating the pasta, and even also vomited. So I moved onto Asian stir fry. I was enjoying it for a while, but when you eat the same thing every day, it gets old and gross. For the past three or four weeks, I have turned to only using my LION dollars for Jamba Juice I have it every single day for breakfast, and then for dinner I eat an apple.
I much prefer the sandwiches that are offered at Roski’s but they close in the middle of the day, and are also across campus.
Anyway, the Lair is only OK, but food is food, and I’m lucky that it’s so easily accessible here at LMU.

The Lair has awesome food choices, as well as amazing, hard-​working, dedicated chefs. The chefs behind the counters making the food are there all day working their butts off, and I respect that greatly.
BUT…as far as the Cashiers, they are horrible. They are all very rude and never tell me my total. So, I have started to look at their computer screen to know my total and have been overcharged multiple times in the past month that I have been attending LMU. It is very frustrating that they are so careless as to what they are ringing up on student’s orders because not everyone at LMU has a limitless amount of money coming out of their parent’s behinds. I work 30 hours a week on top of taking 17 units at school, so I am very conscious of my money management. I am beyond livid that these cashiers just simply slide my OneCard without telling me what I am paying for. I have told them that the total they have on their screen is different than the one on my receipt, but they just do not understand. As a hard working, independent full-​time student and worker at a very expensive private school, I expect to be rung up honestly because I am the one paying my bills. The easiest way to fix this issue would be to put barcodes on the order receipts so the cashiers can simply scan it for the correct price. I am going to go crazy if I am overcharged one more time.

The Lair is the main food market located in the center of campus. Though it can be pricey for some items, for the most part it is reasonable. The workers are for the most part very friendly and happy to help you. What I like about their menu display it is it lists the calories next to each menu item. So if you are trying to eat healthy, you know what foods to choose or avoid.
*- My personal favorites
*Caliente– A mexican grill offering burritos, burrito bowls, fajitas, tostada bowls, etc.
Pizza– Get a slice of your favorite pizza
Asian Grill– Offers stir fries, noodles, etc
The Grill– Offers burgers (turkey and veggie too), grilled cheese, hot dogs, curly fries, tater tots, sweet potato fries, etc (usually takes the longest)
Comfort food– Offers fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, mac & cheese, etc.
Pasta– Offers different varieties of pasta with a variety of sauces
*Sushi– Offers rolls such as spicy shrimp, california, salmon, tuna, etc. Also has side dishes such as edamame.
Quiznos– Offers a typical Quiznos menu
Salad Bar– This is a make it yourself bar where you can create your own salad from different vegetables and toppings
*Salad Wrap Bar– This is a salad bar where they make it for you offering salads or salad wraps. Some of the options include caesar, chinese chicken, cobb, southwest, etc.
Frozen Yogurt– Offers chocolate or vanilla frozen yogurt with an array of toppings from candy to fruit
Bakery/​Bread Bar– Offers a wide range of pastries, bagels, and toast
Cereal Bars– Offers about 6 different types of cereals
On the Go– Offers pre made sandwiches, humus & pita bread, fruit bowls, etc when you need to grab something fast
Some menu items change from time to time, but this is the general outline of what the Lair has to offer!

Expensive, and the food wasnt that great…

:(
But it’s sustenance and sustain I must in college!
The only thing I like is the fruit and the morning omelets :)
Salads: Okay, the dressing can sometimes can make you feel kind of sick
Asian food: Bad, salty, weirdly soft and not tasty
Mexican food: Alright, but it’s one of those foods that makes you feel kind of sick after eating, very wannabe chipotle
Sushi: Generally yummy, and surprisingly so since it’s school food, but found a bug once :’(
Grill: Okay, fine, the grill isn’t bad!
Pasta: Saltsaltsaltsalt or blandblandbland
Malone Market: Mmmmmm eh
The number of places to get food gives the impression that there’s an endless plethora of wonderful meals to eat, but after two weeks, everything tastes EH.
OH WAIT, the pizza is good! our school has yummy pizza here and @ del ray.
Eat at Roskis.

The Lair Marketplace is basically the main place to get food at LMU.
While, at first, it seems like there is an overwhelming amount of options, the food becomes tiring at about week three. The stuff can sometimes be expensive but all of the cooks and cashiers are all super nice and friendly.
What to get:
–Waffles — They have these awesome waffle makers where you just put the batter in yourself. Toppings include butter, cream, peaches, strawberries, and blueberries.
–Omlettes — They have a variety of fillings; I usually get mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach, and cheese.
–French Fries — Not amazing, but pretty decent.
–Sushi — Surprisingly good but a little pricey.
–Strawberries and Sweet Cream — Only available in the morning before 3pm!
What not to get:
–Chicken Soft Tacos — The chicken chunks were were really dry, and the corn tortillas were strange. The salsa was not that great either.
–Packaged Salads — Why get a packaged Caesar Salad when you can make your own at the salad bar? Or get a freshly tossed one?
–Phở — No. No. No.
Tips for you:
–The lines get really long from 12pm-​1pm and 6pm-​7pm. Go during the off hours.
–Make sure to go on Wednesdays where they have specials like bread bowls, potato bars, and other fun stuff
–Check the calendar often to look for AYCE days!
–If you want to buy a large cup of tea, head to the Lion’s Den instead. It’s cheaper there!