New semester brings about new Campus Dining hours

by Sarah Woodhurst, posted Feb. 24, 2010

For MU students who ate regularly at Rollins Dining Hall, known for its pizza, in the fall semester, this spring semester is going to take some getting used to.

The renovation of Rollins Dining Hall has increased the flow of students through other dining halls, especially Eva J’s. Changes have been made to the offerings and hours of many of the dining halls to address the issue of becoming over capacitated.

Eva J’s is expanding from serving lunch and dinner only on the weekdays to offering breakfast, lunch and dinner throughout the entire week. They also offer an express lunch option for students who need to grab a quick lunch. Some students use the express lunch option simply to avoid crowds in the dining room.

“The new takeout options have been well received by students,” said Andrew Lough, marketing specialist of Campus Dining Services. “We expect that as the semester progresses, more students will become aware of these options and utilize them.” 

Freshman Ooshene Fox agrees. Fox is a resident of Schurz and said that she had never eaten at Rollins, but she likes their pizza.

“I really like the Eva J’s breakfast to-go,” Fox said. “It’s nice to have this semester because, after last semester, I wanted to try to get on a more regular eating schedule. I don’t really like how it’s always so packed, but the hours are more convenient.”

One of the biggest changes at Eva J’s has been the addition of Rollins Pizza To-Go! This is a service that was housed at Rollins’ facility last semester but has moved to the dining room of Eva J’s. Students can call or walk to Eva J’s after 8 p.m. on any night to order a pizza.

Eva J’s is not the only dining hall making changes to accommodate the absence of Rollins, though. Plaza 900 has added to its seating capacity and expanded their takeout offerings to include pizza by the slice.

“My favorite place to eat is Plaza because the food is good, and it’s close to my room,” Fox said. “If I’m coming from my room, I’ll eat there, but if I’m coming from class, I usually eat at Eva J’s.”

Another change is Plaza 900 taking a break to prepare for dinner at 3 p.m., instead of 2:15 p.m. as they did the previous semester. Baja Grill is also open one hour earlier at 10 a.m., rather than 11 a.m.

Whether these changes will remain in effect this fall when Rollins is re-opened is unknown. What is known, however, is that students will see some changes in the Rollins Dining Hall itself.

“The main changes to Rollins include the addition of a new entrance that will go directly into the dining location and restrooms off the dining room,” Lough said.

Fox said that she didn’t hear about the dining hall changes prior to this semester but thinks that Campus Dining Services are doing well at accommodating Rollins being closed.

Rollins is expected to be up and running in the fall of 2010, but, in the meantime, students are adjusting well to other dining hall changes.

For a schedule of the Dining Hall hours, visit the Campus Dining Web site.

{back to homepage}