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Winter 2016
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TOWER
17
TOMORROW
Hydroponic
vegetables for
the freshest salad. Open-concept kitchens with food
cooked on demand. Vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free
options. London broil. Sushi. It’s not fantasy. It’s not a
fancy, expensive food court. It’s South Dining Hall.
“What we’re doing is fairly new in the industry,”
Dahlquist revealed. “We’re redesigning the dining experi-
ence.When you walk in, you’re going to see a much larger
area, with food cooked right in front of the students.The
old cafeteria style is fading away.The future is taking
college food to the next level.There’s going to be a bigger
emphasis on service, product, quality and freshness. Our
goal is for students to walk into our dining facilities and
stay for as long as they want. Food can be the foundation
for friendships – and a more meaningful experience at
Kutztown University.”
The new era of dining at Kutztown will occur in three
phases.The first phase, with the renovation of the Bear’s
Den and the transformation of Java City into Starbucks,
was complete fall 2014.The second phase included tem-
porarily closing the Cub Café to expand seating, update
the food serving areas and construct a dish room.The
café reopened in January as an ‘all-you-care-to-eat’ estab-
lishment. Enormous changes are planned this spring for
the Golden Bear Food Court, on the first floor of South
Dining Hall.When it reopens in fall 2016, there will be a
new seating layout; an innovative 24/7 breakfast area; a
fireplace; a stage area for performances; a room dedicated
to video games; a game room with pool tables, air hockey
and foosball; and all newmenus at food locations.
Do you love buffalo chicken pizza? That’s available
at Hearth, the pizza and pasta station. Have you ever
wanted to try ratatouille? It’s available weekly, at the
Comfort Corner. Other additions include a gourmet
burger bar; cereal, breakfast bar and pantry; Kafé, serving
Seattle’s Best coffee; a deli; and an expansive salad bar.
“They have such wonderful products for our menu
next year,”Dahlquist said. “I’d be shocked if someone
didn’t like the food!”
This summer, the South Side Café on the second floor
will get a facelift, with new ceilings, lights, paint and
inviting murals, along with an entirely new menu.Craving
international food? Every week the Transformation
Kitchen will feature a different global cuisine. Feel like
something more traditional? Order herb rubbed rotisserie
chicken at the Chop House. Vegetarian? Sizzle, the
grill area, has a special daily selection to cater to your
tastes.There’s something to appeal to everyone’s palate!
Additionally, the new meal plan (a block of 175 meals
or 14 or 19 premium week plan) will consist of ‘anytime’
dining. Known as the MyTime Dining Plan, students
won’t be limited to only going in for breakfast or dinner
once – they can come and go as often as they want, in
the South Side Café, Cub Café and Golden Bear Food
Court.Meal plan options are also available for commuters
(a block of 75 meals or a 10-week plan), and anyone can
pay the at-door-rate at the facilities.
“There’s an advantage to having unlimited access to
food,”Dahlquist declared. “And the Cub Café will have
much longer hours on the weekdays and weekends, to
accommodate students.”
The third phase is still three to five years away, with a
planned full renovation of the dining hall’s second floor.
In spite of its past and future incarnations, one aspect
of dining hall culture remains the same. It’s a site which
nourishes bodies, hearts, minds and relationships.
“It’s quite a place for socializing,” said Ian McMurchie
’18, an anthropology major. “I come here to meet up
with friends, or project partners for class. My friends
and I make plans here – we learn about what’s going on
around campus, and get more involved. It’s a meeting
ground, especially for discussions. It’s an open forum.”