Oct. 3, 2008
Q: Is it possible to get some healthier food options at the Fleet Recreation Center? With the gym upstairs it’s surprising that the healthy selections downstairs are limited to sandwiches. It’s okay when Smash Hits Subs is open, but in the morning when only Mean Gene’s is open, the only options for breakfast are greasy and fried. Even some bottled fruit smoothies would be welcome. It would also be really nice if there was a poster with the calories counts for the different sandwiches, like at Taco Bell.

A: Thank you for your feedback. There is already a poster for calorie counts at Mean Gene’s and calorie counts for the other operations are normally available from the counter attendant (we’re reordering a supply, so if they are currently not available they will be shortly). We have contacted the Hot Stuff corporate liaison (all operations are operated under a license from Hot Stuff Foods) who is investigating the possibility of adding a bottled smoothie to the product line. In the not so distant past we have tried offering items like assorted fresh fruits but ended up discarding more items than we sold - while we occasionally get requests for such items actual sales volume is not sufficient to warrant ongoing sales. As you mentioned, the large selection of sandwiches and salad offerings available at Smash Hit Subs can be very healthy; it’s up to the customer on how they want their sandwich or salad prepared. While we acknowledge that the breakfast offerings tend to be fried, they are made of standard breakfast fare common to most any restaurant in the U.S. For the most part this is what customers want to buy, as evidenced by similar menu selections at like restaurants around the world.