Sadler Dining Hall reopened its doors this semester with a new look following a full-scale summer renovation.
The expansion was made in response to the west side of campus’ population growth. Sadler Dining Hall will feed residents of Lawrinson Hall, The State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, the new Dineen Hall, Campus West apartments and Sadler Hall.
The decision for improvements was revealed in March. After adding 150 seats, it will now be able to hold 470 patrons. Previously it could only accommodate 320, Lynne Mowers, secretary to the director of food services, said in an email.
The increased seating will create a lot more space for the approximately combined 1,400 students that live in Sadler, Lawrinson and ESF residence halls, according to the Syracuse University and ESF websites.
Another noticeable difference is Sadler’s increased commitment to sustainable practices. Sadler is now a tray-less dining hall and has also incorporated reusable cloth napkins. The school also implemented a green roof that will manage rainwater runoff more effectively, Mowers said.
“We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback from customers so far on the changes in Sadler,” Mowers said. “We’re happy to have been able to expand the service time and number of seats available in Sadler for the large number of students now living on our western campus border.”
These changes followed a smaller-scale upgrade last summer, when the residence hall renovated the bathrooms, making them single-occupant restrooms.
Along with seating expansion, the renovation also made the dining hall accessible with an elevator and a ramp entrance. There was also a large increase in food options.
“New areas were added including cooked-to-order stations, deli, expanded Sbarro and salad bar areas, as well as a gluten-free area,” Mowers said. “We can now cook to order a larger variety of foods including stir fry, pasta, and grilled foods. Italian entrées are now available in the Sbarro pizza area. Another soft serve machine was added to expand the dessert options.”
The dining hall hours were expanded to match Ernie Davis Dining Center’s, staying open until 9 p.m. daily.
Many of the new customers expressed their pleasure in the changes.
“It’s very contemporary,” said Mitchel Katz, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences. “It’s very modern. It’s very well organized.”
Other students who lived near Sadler last year said they were pleased they no longer had to make the effort to eat elsewhere.
“It’s a lot cleaner and nicer,” said Dalton Kimball, a sophomore at ESF. “Before, if I could make it anywhere else, I was going there.”
sblum@syr.edu
Article source: http://dailyorange.com/2013/08/sadler-dining-hall-increases-capacity-food-selection/
