New dining hall brings expanded food options

Texas Woman’s University’s new dining hall is officially open, with a new location, new food options and new features for faculty and students.

The Dining Hall is housed in the newly constructed 30,000 sq. foot building next to Pioneer Hall on Bell Avenue. The hall opened for students Friday, Oct. 25, with an official grand opening taking place on Monday, Oct. 28. 

“We chose to open up on a Friday because we wanted to have a transition to get all the kinks out, and the things we need to correct to make it more efficient, so that the flow through when you guys come through is seamless,” Diane Jackson, senior director of Dining Services at TWU, said. 

Some of the dining hall’s features include a new Mongolian stir fry station; a create-your-own pasta station; and a soft serve ice cream machine. 

“We are very excited about the opening of the Dining Hall,” Jill Eckardt, TWU’s director of Housing and Dining, said in a TWU news release. “Being able to offer high quality dining options in a setting that features multiple food stations and outdoor patio seating is something that we have not had before.”

The new facility also provides more opportunities for food to be cooked fresh on-site, with more kitchen space than was available in the Underground.

“I have a gluten allergy, and there’s a lot more options as far as gluten-free goes, and that’s really nice,” Lauryn Chatigny, freshman nursing major, said. “It just feels fresher. The hot food is actually hot.”

With the new dining hall taking over as the campus’s dining facility, the Underground will no longer serve as a cafeteria, effective immediately. 

“With this dining hall, everything is made from scratch,” Jackson said. “Even our baked goods are fresh, because we have the facilities in the back of the house. We’ll be able to offer a lot more.”

The Dining Hall will be open Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., on Fridays from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. More information about dining options on campus can be found on the TWU website.

Garrett Gantt can be reached via email at ggantt@twu.edu.

Featured Image: The new dining hall opens its doors during the soft opening at the new dining hall in Denton, Texas on Friday, Oct. 25, 2019. Photo by Sarah Pham.