Davis Dining Hall closes for renovations Friday

By Joe Stando
Western Herald

Students in Western Michigan University’s “Little Three” (French, Zimmerman, and Davis) residence hall complex will need to head elsewhere for meals starting Friday, as the Davis Dining Hall will begin a renovation project lasting the next few months.

Jo Wei Looi/Western Herald | Western Michigan University’s Davis Dining Hall will be closing Friday and will remain closed until renovations are complete.

“We started the planning for this project in the fall of 2009,” said Judy Gipper, director of Dining Services. “We had hoped to renovate for a long time, and in November, Dr. [John] Dunn approved our proposal.”

Prior to approval, Dining Services held a number of focus groups with students to decide what features to include in the renovation. The redesigned dining hall, which will reopen in the fall of 2010, will include a grill, personal pizza and pasta center, and a dessert bar, according to Gipper.

“One thing we’re really excited about is the Western Grounds coffee shop and bakery,” Gipper said. “It’s to be a blend of a meal plan setup and a cash operation.  It’s also going to provide full after-hours service.”

Gipper also described the chef’s table, which will feature individually prepared meals, including Asian-style, vegetarian, and breakfast options.

The renovation was also planned with environmental sustainability in mind.

“We’re trying to be as sustainable as possible,” said Gipper. “We’ve designed the new layout to be energy efficient and to use sustainable materials. We’ll also be using a pulper to dispose of some of the waste.”

For more information, see the Dining Services display in the Bernhard Center or visit www.wmich.edu/dining/davis.

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Posted by heraldstaff on Feb 25 2010. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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