Get ready for something different on campus this fall. Students will have

access to a dining facility unprecedented in UT’s history.

Presidential Courtyard will have a brand-new food court, where the dining

room looks more like your favorite neighborhood restaurant than a

cafeteria.

The food court will be open to the entire campus and the seating area will

accommodate about 300 people.

“We felt the dining halls looked too institutional. It was time to get into

a different look,” said Jamesena Miller, the associate director for Dining

Services.

The new food preparation area features submarine sandwiches, burgers, a

salad bar, Pizza Hut, Freshens Yogurt and Chik-Fil-A. Customers will also

appreciate the gourmet coffee bar, featuring 12 varieties of coffee.

“This facility is designed to make dormitory life better. The new food

court will offer the variety that many people have wanted, while the

downstairs area will still have more traditional fare,” said Norman Hill,

director of Dining Services.

“It combines a fast-food environment with an atmosphere that is conducive

to socializing. And it’s convenient; students can get something like

Chik-Fil-A right here instead of having to go all the way to the West Town

Mall,” Miller said. “It’s a change in the concept of the way we operate

Presidential.”

The new facility will be open till midnight. “The environment will be good

for both studying and socializing,” Hill said. “The seating arrangement

encourages dialogue between students, faculty and administration in a

comfortable environment.”

“The students wanted a different seating arrangement, something that would

be more sociable than a long table. So we installed booths because a booth

gives you sociability and privacy at the same time,” Miller said.

A small room with a big-screen TV will be located within the dining area.

“The TV room is kind of private,” Miller said. “We have areas that attract

different personalities. There is a large dining area also a quiet private

area. The whole arrangement will help to give people some closeness.

“It was a fun thing to see the university invest in a new food operation to

improve student life on campus. We are very excited to see what peoples’

reactions will be. We will have a grand opening at the end of September,”

Miller said.

“The decision process for building the facility was a long one. We met with

several student focus groups to see what kind of changes they would like.

Then we went to the vice chancellor and gave him a proposal,” Miller said.

For research, the Dining Services staff toured a similar facility at the

University of Oklahoma. “That helped us to get the funding. The students

there really liked it,” she said.

Other cafeterias around campus: Each cafeteria’s menu is unique.

“One can find out what is on a cafeteria’s menu by calling 974-FOOD,”

Miller said.

The cafeteria at Morrill

Hall will get a different cosmetic look, Miller said. So will the Park

Grill (downstairs under Presidential’s food court), and the Baskin Robbins

might be expanded.

Plans for Strong Hall

include a new convenience store and a bagel shop. “We plan to make it look

like a marketplace,” Miller said. It will continue to feature its

vegetarian items, as well as Smokey’s.

The cafeteria at Gibbs

Hall is for residents only, and they have to be on a meal plan. Miller said

this is because Gibbs has a small dining room. “But we buy food from the

same vendors for all the cafeterias — it all comes from the same

source.”