Cougs are given the opportunity to relive their youth through the changes coming to Northside Café this fall. In past semesters, Northside Café’s The Den was utilized as an all-you-can eat buffet during dinner hours in the dining hall, serving Italian on Tuesdays, wings on Wednesdays and Asian cuisine on Thursdays. This fall, the Den will be transitioning into the Cougar Den to pioneer a breakfast-for-dinner concept.

“People would come in and wait in line for one thing and leave. This way, I think it will break that up and make things more interactive,” Northside Café General Manager Eddie Aguilar said.

While the Cougar Den will present a similar concept, from 5 – 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, students are welcome to enjoy all they care to eat breakfast for one price.

Featuring a wall of cereal dispensers, a yogurt bar, pancake griddles, waffle makers , donuts and cinnamon rolls, made-to-order omelets and eggs, breakfast potatoes, bacon and sausage, the Cougar Den will provide options that are hard to resist. An endless toppings bar will allow students to create whatever breakfast they crave for dinner.

“It makes sense for all of the patrons we have, if you have certain dietary restrictions, if you have dairy or gluten allergies, we will have options for everyone, no problem,” Aguilar said.

In alignment with the Saturday morning theme, the Cougar Den will feature cartoons and board games, such as Operation, Connect Four and Twister. The Cougar Den will also have milk dispensers with assorted flavors of syrup to add to the fun.

“If you all want to come in your pajamas, I encourage it to add to the festivities,” Aguilar said.

The breakfast-for-dinner arrangement will also serve as an opportunity to promote sustainability by reducing food waste.

“Anything that is not used at night can be reused in the morning for breakfast and a lot of food here will be made to order, so there’s not much waste in that regard. Everything will be served on non-disposable, reusable dishware.”

For those with dietary restrictions or health fanatics, the Cougar Den will offer gluten-free cereals, soy-based yogurt, freshly-squeezed orange juice, and made-to-order options.

“My vision for the Cougar Den is a place with a lot of variety, where there is stuff for everybody and come interact and have fun with your friends,” Aguilar said.

The Cougar Den at Northside Café will be open for the school year beginning at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 23.