ASU’s new dining hall makes the grade

By Tiffany Allison

If anyone pondered the purpose behind the glassy sky walk over Rivers St., wonder no more. The former bridge to nowhere now leads directly up to Appalachian State University’s new 65,000-square-foot cafeteria.

With the oldest parts of its former cafeteria, Welborn Dining Hall, dating back to 1925, it was time for an upgrade. The two-floored building, the newest addition to ASU’s campus, is evidence of the university’s expansion. The first floor houses ASU Food Service’s bakery and preparation area, while the second floor, divided into two dining areas, seats almost 2,000.

“It’s airy, open and fresh,” Pat Weaver, assistant director of food services, said. “It’s a very pleasant place to dine.”

Rivers Street Cafe, the largest dining room, contains a mixture of healthy and hearty meal options, including fresh sushi, an extensive 72 item salad bar, a fireside brick oven for baking pizza and calzones and a vertical rotisserie. The cafe is open Monday-Thursday 7 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. and on Friday from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m.

“This new cafeteria has a lot of things that we didn’t have in the other building,” she said.

Sanford Commons, the smaller seating area, allows students and faculty to eat in more personal settings with four- and two-person tables. Chick-fil-A resides on this side of the cafeteria, as well as Habanero Fresh Cantina, a Tex-Mex station that brings a little fire with its entrees. Sanford Commons is open Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. until midnight. Pizza delivery is available after 5 p.m.

“The whole idea is to create an impression of freshly prepared food,” she said.

Ron Dubberly, director of ASU food services, and Weaver started constructing plans for the new building in 1997, and the construction is still not finished. Phase two of the project is expected to be completed by next December and operational by January 2010. In phase two, the rotunda will be constructed, which will bring an additional 25,000 square feet, 660 seats and, in turn, expand the Sanford Commons dining selection.

“It has been a long time coming,” Weaver said. “It has many rewards in the end.”

Not only does the new eating facility offer more meal options for a longer period of time, but the aesthetics have upgraded, as well. The bright colored walls create an inviting atmosphere for students to enjoy while they scarf down lunch before class.

Black and white pictures by university photographer Troy Tuttle of college students representing different departments of ASU bye line the walls of Rivers Street Cafe. Each picture has an “A” stealthily hidden within the photo. Photos of Durham Park and the Mountaineers’ big win against Michigan are on the face of the fountain medallions to bring a touch of ASU’s landmark moments to the cafeteria.

“All concepts have been well received,” Weaver said. “It is welcomed by so many people who want fresh food.”
Weaver said the average meal costs about $4.75, but the cafeteria only accepts APPcards, cash and checks for the moment. Credit and debit cards are still under consideration, but the transactions take too much time to process during the lunch rush.

Food services is in the process of ordering tables and chairs for the balcony area, which will allow students, once the weather begins to warm up, to enjoy some fresh mountain air during their meal time.

Students Hailey Shumate and Denise Sawyer from Wilkesboro said that the new cafeteria creates a more college-like atmosphere.

“It feels more like a real college now instead of a dungeon,” Sawyer said in reference to the new building versus the old.

“The atmosphere changes in every room,” Shumate said. “You can sit with a lot of people or not.”

Beat It

Got restaurant news? E-mail news editor Frank Ruggiero at frank@mountaintimes.com, snail mail Mountain Times Publications, Attn: Frank Ruggiero, 474 Industrial Park Drive, Boone, N.C. 28607, or call (828) 264-NEWS and ask for Frank.