As students return to the familiar faces, routines and landmarks of campus, they are also stumbling into an unfamiliar South Dining Hall.
South Dining Hall’s two-year renovation, which began in earnest over the summer, has significantly altered the day-to-day meal-time experience which students, especially those on South Quad, West Quad and God Quad, have become accustomed to.
The former serving area of the dining hall has been largely blocked off with stylized temporary walls featuring information on the history of the storied building. The entryway to the dining hall has likewise been narrowed with temporary walls.
As students enter the dining hall, they now form a line into the west dining room, which functions as the temporary, primary serving area, with homestyle, global, pasta, pizza and smokehouse options stationed on the outer walls of the sectioned space.
“The main area where you get your food is just too wide,” Dillon sophomore Richard Kamau said. “It’s like before it used to be a big circle where you see all the food. Now it’s just too wide to see all the options.”
Badin resident assistant Camille Martinez noted that the changes are “workable” and just something she needs to get used to.
“I think it will just take me some more time to, like, look at all the food options, since it's all … in, like, a huge space,” Martinez said. “I liked it when it was a little bit crowded, honestly, because then I would just, like, take a quick lap and then like, finish.”
Although Dillon junior Stice Neuhoff found the spread-out food to be bothersome, he ultimately stated that it’s not “that big of a deal” and thinks the food in South Dining Hall has improved.
“They’re doing construction. They gotta do what they gotta do, so it is what it is,” Neuhoff said.
While the stations do not have labeled food lists on the countertop of each serving station, the entrances to each station’s lines are accompanied by mobile television screens which display the station’s offerings. At times, however, the screens have contained discrepancies or remained off.
“Honestly, I haven’t loved the changes … I don’t love the way the food stations are set up now,” Baumer junior Noah Hanisch said. “I have a food allergy, and I noticed that some of the food stations, like, no longer had the little things that had all the food allergy things on them. So it’s like, I have to, like, go on my phone and, like, click on the website just to see, which is just kind of an annoying thing.”
Dillon sophomore John Janeteas, who has dairy, egg and nut allergies, described his unhappiness with South Dining Hall’s changes on account of the “cut in options.”
“There doesn’t seem to be as many options as before, specifically being the milk choices. I know there’s like, oat milk and things like that … but in any case, I couldn’t find the options,” Janeteas said. “So I guess if it’s not in a pretty clear space, that makes me a little bit more upset, you know, because I couldn’t … find the options I was looking for, regardless of if they’re there or not.”
Despite not noticing a difference in food quality at South, Badin junior Olivia Burke expressed a similar sense of difficulty in finding the location of foods after getting her “bearings” the past two years.
“I can't find everything, though,” Burke said. “There’s some things I miss that are near and dear to my heart that I don’t know where they are.”
Grubhub kiosks, formerly located in the entryway of the dining hall, now occupy the South Quad-facing wall of the west dining room, although the kiosks are not in use at this time.
After entering the west dining room, students leave the hall through its traditional exit and travel through a tunnel into a small portion of the former serving area for salad, grill, deli and toasting stations.
“When you want to get up, you got to walk through two different tunnels just to get your food again,” Knott junior Riches Afolabi said. “But, like, I could see the potential. But right now ... it’s not really where it needs to be.”
Once students are finished in the “greens and grains” serving area, they shortly proceed back into an enclosed portion of South Dining Hall’s entryway, before entering the east dining room. Yogurt and cereal, fruit, ice cream, condiment and dessert options are located in the east dining hall, which is also the dining area for students.
Calling South Dining Hall “serviceable but frustrating,” vegetarian Dillon sophomore Aakaash Raja expressed his difficulty finding vegetarian options without the dedicated vegan section, meaning his vegetarian options include constant offerings such as grilled cheese and pizza.
“It is really frustrating to go into South and, like, there’s one food or, like, two main food options that aren’t the regular stuff,” Raja said. “And, I mean, I’m sure other people enjoyed [the food], I was talking to my roommate, he really enjoyed what he had today. Like, I can’t eat it, you know? I think it was like beef and chicken was like the two entrees. I don’t know, not a fan of it.”
In a statement to The Observer, Campus Dining called upon the increased “dietary inclusivity” they aim for the updates to bring.
“The renovation and operational enhancements to South and North Dining Halls represent a significant chapter in the evolution of campus dining at Notre Dame. These efforts reflect a thoughtful planning process that has drawn upon the perspectives of multiple stakeholders and balanced respect for tradition with a commitment to innovation,” Campus Dining wrote. “The updates prompt important considerations regarding the preservation of historic elements alongside modern improvements, the adaptation of culinary and service operations, and the experiences of both employees and students. They also underscore questions about the ways in which dietary inclusivity, service efficiency, and capacity management are addressed within high-volume dining environments.”
South Dining Hall employees have confirmed that there have not been vegetarian options available at meals. One employee answered that there would “sometimes” be a vegetarian entree with dinner, but there would not be a dedicated vegan entree station in the dining hall until practices shifted to become more routine.
Additionally, a dining hall employee confirmed that there was not a gluten free section, aside from gluten free bread, while a gluten-free student noted that the gluten free refrigerator and freezer were entirely empty.
“I didn’t love the like, makeshift kitchen that they’re doing … The food isn’t as good, it’s harder to get to, I don't really know exactly where everything is, yet. I don’t love how I have to walk all the way through South to get different things, and then they kind of are, like, hiding stuff in the middle. So I have to walk from one side into the middle to see what’s in the middle and then back,” Dillon resident assistant Noah Allen said. “It’s kind of a mess right now.”
Although Allen’s hall is only a few-second walk away from South Dining Hall, Allen noted that he would now more heavily consider heading to North instead of South to eat if he were coming from a location like DeBartolo Hall. Additionally, sealing the deal, Allen shared that the changes to South Dining Hall made his decision to opt for a senior-only meal plan with less swipes and more Flex Points easier.
Other students residing closer to South Dining Hall have been faced with similar tests of their loyalty to the dining hall under construction.
“I’ve also started going to North a lot more, just because, like, I don’t love the renovation,” Welsh Family sophomore Kara Gallagher said. “I think it’ll work with maybe some, like, minor adjustments here and there, but I'm gonna keep going to South, every so often.”
Gallagher noted that she thinks the decision to renovate South Dining Hall is a good one and that food quality has not decreased. She assured she still prefers South.
According to Janeteas, he has also heavily considered eating at North Dining Hall more than South.
“I get really into the school spirit and things like that. So I’m like, you know, ‘South Dining Hall is the best, North Dining Hall is the worst,’” Janeteas said. “But recently, I have been considering, like, ‘Okay, well, there is not much food here at South.’”
When Kamau was asked if he would go to North Dining Hall, he responded, “absolutely not. But, it’s [South Dining Hall] making stuff look worse. But it’s necessary for the renovations, I understand.”
Badin junior Fiona Denning stated that South has been disappointing, and she is confused by the longer lines for food despite the similar amount of tables. Still, Denning does not think North is necessarily a better option.
“I think North is already overrun with the extra dorms over there now, so I feel as if it’s kind of an even playing field,” Denning said.
Campus Dining spoke positively to North Dining Hall’s new flow.
“Similarly, the introduction of new systems—such as Grab & Go offerings and revised line flow at North Dining Hall—signals an intentional focus on enhancing accessibility, streamlining operations, and supporting the broader mission of hospitality on campus,” Campus Dining wrote. “Collectively, these changes invite a deeper understanding of how dining facilities evolve to meet the needs of a dynamic and diverse university community.”
Despite needing a period to adjust to the changes, another student faithful to South voiced his excitement to see the renovation’s outcome, although he will be graduated by the renovations’ conclusion.
“I’ve been a dedicated South Dining Hall attendee. I love South,” Sorin resident assistant Theo Austin said. “I didn’t really think it had a lot of problems. I understand how the main area was a little complicated, but, yeah, I’m curious to see what it looks like at the end. I hope it’s worth it.”
The east dining room also includes drinks, located in the place of the former plate return. While the station now has two new water and ice machines, similar to those that were added to North Dining Hall last year, there are no fountain drink machines in South Dining Hall. Instead, plastic beverage dispensers offer students different drink options — notably, blue Powerade and cucumber water.
Kamau mentioned the addition of cucumber and lemon infused water, but said it doesn’t make up for the soda machine’s absence.
“The water machine also, like it sprays everywhere,” Kamau said.
The dining tables have also been rearranged in the east dining room, switching from tables horizontally lined to tables vertically arranged in long columns. With this change, tables frequented by dorms have shifted.
“We’re very sad about the loss of the Baumer table,” Baumer junior Sam Thornton said. “So they’re doing such big changes already, right? Why did they decide to flip the tables up on us as well? You know it’s just like too many changes all at once. I think bring back the Baumer table, bring back the horizontal tables, they’re just ruining cultures and destroying vibes.”
Differently, Keough sophomore Jack Freking was not bothered by the shift in table arrangement, noting that he liked South because of the seating, and with it being “pretty much the same,” he will continue to come to South despite the food station layout that looks like “a new dining hall.”
