WAYNE – Every afternoon outside University Commons, Joseph G, a food service worker for Wayne Dining Hall, rolls a cart of frozen hot dogs and empanadas down the walkways of William Paterson University. 

The wheels squeak as they stop next to a food truck. A menu sign clacks on the sidewalk. The grill knobs click. The food sizzles while being cooked. The smoke drifts in the air above the grill. One student becomes 15 forming a line. Joseph begins to work. 

“The food truck has a good reach on teachers and students,” he said while placing hot dogs on the grill. “They say that William Paterson should have been made these food trucks and that we need something like this outside.” 

The University closed the W-Store at the Valley Road building and put it on wheels as a new dining option offered on campus this semester. The W-Store on the Go, as it’s now known, is open during breakfast and lunch Mondays to Thursdays and sells bagels, sweet pastries, chili hot dogs, chicken and beef empanadas alongside cold drinks.  

“The food trucks provide a variety of food options,” said Veronica Barinotto, a food service employee at Wayne Dining Hall. “It provides different choices for students to eat based on their needs, that’s why it grabs their attention.” 

“W-Store on the Go is an initiative that provides an additional option for students to grab food on their way to their next class and leaving campus,” wrote Keith Riker, the director of Dining Services, in an e-mail interview. 

“Dining is always looking for opportunities to increase our students’ access to food while improving convenience,” he wrote. “The goal is to better serve the campus community by increasing the number of convenient options.” 

Students at WPU like the change on campus and found it useful when they wanted to eat something quickly. 

“It is definitely accessible,” said Brooke Holzhauer, a freshman. “It’s a good option for students who need to grab a bite to eat quickly. I would spread the word about the food truck if the people I am friends with do not know about it.” 

Eric Garza also approves of the food variety in the W-Store as well as the prices. 

“The food court lacks selection,” said the senior communication major. “The W-Store is the only place that I would say has selection and services good food like pizza, hot dogs, empanadas, quesadillas, tacos, and wings. The prices are also perfectly fine.” 

“Buying from here is like being in New York,” Joseph said. “When you’re just shopping and want a quick bite, there’s trucks in the city that are there for your convenience.” 

W-Store on The Go is located near Lot 5 from 8 – 9:30 a.m. for breakfast and from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. for lunch.