The University of Connecticut Board of Trustees approved a final budget of $1.1 million on Wednesday for the construction of a café at the UConn Hartford campus.

The new dining space will offer students an affordable option on-site, which does not currently exist, and foster a stronger and more inclusive university community. The UConn Hartford campus opened in its present site in 2017, in a renovated building that used to be the offices of the Hartford Times.

The first-floor facility will be designed to feature a hot and cold food display, a point-of-sale station, a beverage station, and a weekly menu rotation.

Construction is expected to begin in April 2025, with an opening at the beginning of the fall 2025 semester. The dining space will also be open to faculty, staff, and the general public.

The UConn Hartford campus has 2,935 students enrolled in the fall 2024 semester, including 1,544 undergraduates. UConn students and employees who purchase a meal plan will be able to use their plans or pay for items à la carte at the dining space.

The menu at the dining space will reflect the student population at UConn Hartford and how their needs can be best met.

“Hartford’s deep cultural community is also felt through the student body, and we want to connect that to our culinary expertise,” says Michael D. White, UConn executive director of dining services.

The opening of the dining space continues the presence of UConn in Connecticut’s capital city. In May, the UConn Board of Trustees approved a plan to lease space at 242 Trumbull St., where the building’s owner would develop about 50 four-person units in the building’s rear area facing the vibrant Pratt Street and known as the Annex. In addition, the University is also refurbishing space near the XL Center for academic and research use.