By Michael Sagers | Script Writer
At the entrance of the “Caf,” a television screen greets students with upcoming information for the month.
Walking into the Hampton University dining hall, there’s a familiar hum of activity, but also an undeniable sense of something new. The “Caf,” the heart of campus dining, has a revamped landscape including the sizzle of new stations, fresh menu additions, and a distinctively alternate layout. This is not just a menu update, but a change in approach to cultivating a smoother and tastier experience, students say.
A breakfast station has taken over Turntable’s old real estate. Before the winter break, Day N’ Nite was just an omelet station, but now it’s the cafeteria’s preeminent spot. Its expanded menu includes made-to-order french toast, pancakes, hash browns, and combo specials alongside its signature omelets as well as bacon, turkey bacon, sausage, grits, and oatmeal that are cooked and ready to go.
“I like to call it brunch all day because that’s exactly what you can do now Monday through Friday,” said campus dining’s Head of Marketing, Stacy Gibson. “That’s why it’s called Day N’ Nite, you can get breakfast all day and night here.”
Students concerned over whether the days of Turntable’s homestyle fusion meals are coming to an end need not to worry as the line is now sharing its space with Day N’ Nite.
“I know the omelet station took up the whole thing in the back of the caf and now it’s just like a smaller section, so they’re putting something more useful that students will like in the space,” said first-year student Jared Wilder.
A tex-mex station will replace Day N’ Nite’s old spot.
“So every day there’ll be beef and chicken for you to build a burrito or a rice bowl here and that concept is called Austin Grill,” said Gibson.
The giant Day N’ Nite sign has been removed to make way for an Austin Grill sign.
Besides Austin Grill, more changes include the cafeteria’s expanded pasta bar (now with pasta bake), mediterranean bar, and a new burger station. Some options will remain including Rolling Dough, the dining hall’s pizza station, the vegan and vegetarian options at the main bar, and the content at Wok Steady and Sugar Rush (the Asian bistro and bakery).
Gibson shared that a big part of the cafeteria’s improvements involved putting a deeper focus on made-to-order meals to cater to students’ preference.
“What we’re seeing now with a lot of Gen Z students is that they want the utmost control over what they eat,” Gibson said. “That’s why we brought in the made-to-order grill for you to say hey, I would like a veggie burger. I would like a beef burger.”
Students said they were pleased with the changes.
“They now have this combo where you can get pancakes, eggs and a piece of meat. I like that a lot,” said first-year student Madison Baldwin.
The expansions of made-to-order and build-your-own stations increase variety, Gibson shared.
“That gives them back the authority of choosing what they want and how they want their food customized, so that they feel like they’re receiving exactly what they want when they come into the dining space,” said Gibson.
Not everyone is thrilled.
“I usually go to the omelet station and the pizza station’s usually good too, but I feel like the line’s kind of crazy, how long it is,” said third-year student RJ Phipps.
During the dining hall’s busiest hours, the front area can become congested with lines that wrap around. The bottleneck has many students complaining about the long wait times.
“I liked that there are more options, but the lines are still really long so I feel like it hasn’t done much to help. I wish there could be something done about that,” said first-year student Aria Watson.
The lines amplify an issue that has persisted even before the winter break–long queues wrapping around familiar service spaces. When it comes to fixing issues and making future improvements the call for more space and efficiency is a recurring theme.
“I think we need a bigger caf, to be honest. Like I feel like we just have too many students and not enough space,” said Phipps.
Baldwin agrees with Phipps’ comments and he believes that a better means of food distribution is necessary.
“I just don’t think that the caf has an effective way of how to serve this many students at once,” said Baldwin.
In addition to reducing wait times, students are calling for improvements in cleanliness and the overall quality of the food.
“I’m glad it’s edible now. I was very iffy about coming because it was always half raw. But you know, it’s pretty good now, I guess.”
Wilder echoed concerns about the dining experience, specifically addressing problems with plates and utensils.
“The cleanliness of the plates and forks–compared to last semester, a lot of times like the plates aren’t ready or the forks aren’t ready.”
The Hampton Script 