Fast food and coffee shops are usually better provided by the university than by popular restaurants like McDonald’s or Starbucks, NIU officials say.

NIU worked with McDonald’s, Pepsi and Subway in the past, said Eddie Williams, executive vice president and chief of operations for finance and facilities, in an email.

The university finds that commercial businesses are not always the best way to provide services, Williams said.

“Being a state institution, there are many services that NIU can offer to students,” Williams said.

NIU has its own facilities and equipment that reduce the initial costs of starting a service, Williams said. It also has union contracts for personnel.

“Because NIU incurs fewer expenses to provide a service, this cost-savings is passed along to the students and patrons of the university,” Williams said.

Usually, businesses want NIU to pay a franchise fee up front for the brand name, equipment and repairs, said Karen Villano, director of food services for the Holmes Student Center. Instead, NIU finds it more affordable for businesses to rent space rather than pay exorbitant fees, Villano said.

Businesses find it hard to draw decent profits at a university because they are not open all the time, Villano said.

“The problem with attracting tenants is that there just is not enough consistent year-round volume for many operators,” said HSC Director Mitch Kielb in an email.

Creating job opportunities for students is another reason why NIU chooses to provide services itself, Williams said. Many businesses do their own hiring and do not guarantee hiring students, Williams said.

For two years, senior economics major Ryan Kane has managed the Huskie Hub in the HSC. Kane finds the Huskie Hub provides a good service to employees and customers.

“What sets us apart from other places is that we’re run by students,” Kane said. “We treat other students like how we want to be treated.”

The Huskie Hub is competitive because it provides food fast, and a lot of people like fried food, Kane said. While they do not make their own food, they cook food they receive from other companies, Kane said.

Junior communications major Scott Salton works at the HSC Subway.

The restaurant is extremely convenient for both customers and those looking for employment, Salton said.