Retrievers Sports Bar & Grill now accepts Eagle Express when customers pay for food items only.

Retrievers is currently the only bar and grill in the University Plaza to accept Eagle Express.

“Eagle Express is for food transactions only,” Nathan Queen, general manager of Retrievers, said.

Georgia Southern University’s Auxiliary Services approached Queen in the summer to begin accepting Eagle Express.

Queen said it was a no brainer when he began considering the change.

“Mom and dad are more likely to say, ‘I’m not going to give you $100 to spend on whatever,” Queen said. “But they will give you $100 on your Eagle Express to buy food.”

Students have the ability to add Eagle Express money to their account and use this money both on and off campus, according to the Eagle Card Center’s website.

Though 10 percent of Eagle Express sales are turned back to GSU, Queen is not worried about the percentage.

Retrievers will still benefit from allowing Eagle Express as another form of payment, Queen said.

“We hope that this will positively affect our business, since it is opening up another option for students,” Mallory Cato, marketing assistant for Retrievers, said.

Retrievers intends to use its location to its benefit by accepting Eagle Express.

Queen said he hopes freshmen who want a quick off-campus meal will come to Retrievers because it is a short distance from their dorms.

“It will also help late-night business,” Queen said.

Katie Pursley, junior exercise science major, sees this change as a loss in the long run for GSU.

“It’s smart on [Retrievers’] part because their sales will go up. I don’t really understand GSU okaying it since it is a place that promotes alcohol,” Pursley said. “From what I have heard the university tries to get away from the ‘party school’ name, so my question is ‘why promote this place?’”

Retrievers is in the University Plaza which is located on Georgia Avenue and currently serves food until 1:00 a.m.