All of campus waited nearly three weeks into the school year for the opening of Andrews University’s newest facility. In the end, their patience paid off. The staff of Dining Services is celebrating the grand opening of the newly renovated cafeteria, servery and dining rooms!

The Dining Services staff are not the only ones who are excited. With the introduction of the “World Market,” “Campus Grill,” “Harbor Deli,” “Breakfast Zone,” “Salad Bar” and “Andrews Classics” food stations, students, staff and faculty alike are happy for the renovations and hard work that has been put into the area since March of 2008. Students who saw the completion of the dining hall on Sept. 10, 2008, were awed by the dramatic changes.

Neola Sivalingam, class of 2011, walked in for the first time and joked, “Hey, where is the ketchup?” After taking a quick tour of the new food stations (and finding the condiments), she concluded, “I really like the different places that you can go to. My favorite place is the deli because I love the sandwiches here.”

The new Dining Service’s menu offers improved, healthy entrees scattered among several stations. Two favorites among students include a stir-fry section for sautéing vegetables and a fresh salad bar with endless dressings and toppings. The high-quality menu is appealing even to the non-vegetarian students who come to the cafeteria.

The new layout is beneficial as well, offering a more open and inviting dining area that boasts all-new booth seating. This encourages dine-in options for students in place of carry-out. The atmosphere has already promoted social gatherings and a comfortable place for students to “hang out” around meal times.

The transition into Andrews’ newly renovated facility has been easy for most. Lucia Kijai, dining center coordinator, has worked with Dining Services for nearly 13 years. “Right now,” she says, “we’re still getting settled. Some people worked until 2:00 a.m. to complete everything so the students could eat here today! But I do love the food and I like the new look.”

Nearly all who have made it up to the new eating area have come to the same conclusion.
Dining Services is open weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. with shorter hours on the weekends. For a complete list of hours and a link to the daily menu, visit www.andrews.edu/life/living/dining.

-Written by Ashleigh Jardine, student news writer