Mahoney-Pearson Dining Hall revamp receives mixed reviews

Sophomore Sam Walsh grabs lunch from one of the multiple dining stations. Nick Gangemi // Assistant Photo Editor
Sophomore Sam Walsh grabs lunch from one of the multiple dining stations.  Nick Gangemi // Assistant Photo Editor
Sophomore Sam Walsh grabs lunch from one of the multiple dining stations.
Nick Gangemi // Assistant Photo Editor

This summer, the Mahoney-Pearson Dining Hall received a major facelift including a complete remodel of the interior design.

The revamped dining hall offers students a more diverse seating arrangement, including an outdoor seating patio, along with food prepared in front of students.

“I think it looks really nice, and I like how it has a lot of open space,” sophomore Eric-Dillan Smith said.

However, Smith also mentioned that he wished there was more designated room for lines.

Mahoney-Pearson now accommodates those opting to use the to-go option in a separate area. In a corner when students first enter, they are able to select an entree, a side, a dessert and a beverage, which significantly shortens their visit.

“It actually saved me today because I was late for class, and I came in here hoping the lines weren’t ridiculous,” Smith said. “But they were like no you have to get take-out here, here’s five things, and then I got my food and made it to class.”

Although the new divided system is more time-efficient, some students, like freshman Catalina Perez, feel that it is not an adequate meal.

“I’m a freshman, so I don’t really know how it worked before, but I did expect that I could go to any station,” she said. “Now that I have less options, and the price is still the same, it’s a little frustrating.”

Many vegetarian or vegan students, like sophomore Poonam Patel, are frustrated with the even more limited options they have for both eat-in and take-out dining. Patel in particular would like to see the reinstatement of Terra Ve, the vegetarian specific station that has not been available since the dining hall’s opening.

“Whenever they’re making something with meat, they should make it without meat too,” she said, specifically citing a pasta dish with ham mixed in served  on Tuesday.

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Student Government (SG) Press Secretary Adam Orshan said they are aware of some concerns with the new dining hall as students have written on their Facebook and their online suggestion box.

“Everybody loves how it looks, and the visual appeal has been overwhelmingly positive,” he said. “The only real complaints I’ve heard are about the vegetarian and vegan options in the take-out option.”

Orshan encourages students with comments to contact their respective senators, so SG can then in turn effectively communicate with Dining Services.

“We always want to communicate with students as many ways as we can,” he said.