Alumni may recall mad dashes from the library or athletic field to make it to the dining hall in time for meals, but today’s students don’t worry so much about timelines. Beginning last fall, students have unlimited access to the dining hall from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week. Full service is not available in transition hours, but a variety of dining options remain during those times.
Tim Millerick, vice president for Student Affairs and Athletics, said the new hours are becoming the norm for college dining programs. The College’s food service provider, Aramark, instituted the first phase of an update to their service last fall, with new hours and updates to the menu and service concepts. Student response was very positive to the changes, according to Millerick and the College’s Aramark food services director Todd Robison.
This summer, Aramark is taking on the second phase of its plan—physical adaptation of the dining hall to better facilitate the new programs. Changes to the serving areas and updates in stations and locations, as well as seating changes, some new equipment, and a general facelift, are geared to a more current food program. The changes, Millerick said, will offer a renewed and refreshed dining area, with a more contemporary, less institutional, feel.
Many surveys, interviews, and focus group discussions went into planning the updates, with members of the Student Assembly Food Committee very involved throughout.
Additionally, Aramark and Coca Cola will invest in updates in the Pouch Club, with new flooring and improvements to the seating areas.