Article by: Ryan Boyle

Students returning from winter break will definitely notice a difference when they enter the dining halls this semester.  Each of Suffolk’s dining facilities underwent renovations with the help of a $1 million contribution from Sodexo, the catering company that provides food for Suffolk.

The cafeteria at 150 Tremont Street received the most attention, with a complete renovation of the food serving area, and organization of the sitting area rearranged according to the architects original plans.

The serving area at 150 Tremont now features a spacious opening, ambient lighting, brand new Corian-based countertops, a brand new grill and sandwich serving line, redesigned pizza station with heat lamps, a new international station, and a new, more efficient salad bar.  The new design makes effective use of limited space by removing the bathrooms that were once at back of the serving area and the rectangular salad bar and replacing them with a new serving line style that allows for more choices to be offered.

“I feel the food quality is the same, but the salad bar is definitely a lot nicer,” said freshman Ryan Brown. “The entire area looks a lot brighter and nicer quality over all.  The staff now seem more excited, and enjoy where they work now.”

In addition to the cosmetic changes that were made, the menus have been reworked and rotate on a four week cycle.  The deli line will feature a wider variety of Sodexho’s weekly special sandwiches, in addition to a new Grab N’ Go method so students can self-serve.  The international station, where Mongolian wok, pasta bowls, and burritos are made, will now feature Indian and Asian cuisine on a rotating weekly basis.  The entree line now features a reworked menu, with a greater focus on offering more vegetarian and vegan selections along with new southern-inspired dishes.  Sushi is now available, made fresh daily and replaced throughout the day from the chefs at the Donahue Café.  The Simply-to-Go offerings have been increased with new yogurt parfait flavors, salads, panini sandwhichs, and pressed sandwiches being offered.  A new condiment station has been set up that offers five different Heinz condiments, with a new specialty dipping sauce program being introduced in the coming weeks. Complimenting the new menu, the 150 Café sports a new smoothie machine, Coke fountain, drink display case, and three new flavors of Green Mountain Coffee all of which are Free Trade Organic.

“The new renovations look great, there is now plenty of room to walk around without bumping into people, the ambient lighting refreshes the room, and the serving area looks cleaner,” said sophomore Dave Best.

Yesterday marked the official re-opening of the 150 Tremont Café, with opening remarks by Provost Brown followed by pastries, cake, and a raffle.  Cullen Gilchrist, the unit manager for the 150 Café, is very pleased with the outcome of the changes.  When asked about the re-opening he said, “Looks like everybody likes our new program, everything is now fresh, up front, and ready for students to eat.”

Although 150 Tremont Café under went the most extensive renovations and changes, all of the other dining facilities had adjustments and improvements made to them.

At the Donahue Café, a new sushi bar was put in, a new Coke machine is in place, three different flavors of Starbucks coffee are now available, and the fast food area has been reworked.  The salad bar has been expanded and now spans the room, offering more fresh options to students.  Chef Stephen, who oversees the kitchen in Donahue, is excited to offer students, “more pizza options, and new English muffin breakfast sandwiches, and croissant sandwiches.”

The Sawyer Café now serves Peat’s tea and coffee along with sporting a new coffee bar, where students can add syrups in addition to the traditional cream and sugar options.  A new display case features panini sandwiches, pita bread, yogurts, muffins, croissants, in addition to offering fresh sushi.

Although no changes were made to the Miller Café, a new Atrium Café is now open and on the first floor of the Miller Residence Hall.  The café aims to serve breakfast and late night snacks to residents such as sandwiches, pastries, and Grab N’ Go options.

In response to the positive feedback from the changes, Vice President for Student Affairs Nancy Stoll remarked she is, “excited we are able to improve the facilities here and enhance the dining experience for students.”