By Katie Tate
Sydney Lockard, a freshman at Trevecca, attended the opening day of the new Jernigan Dining Hall and was pleasantly surprised by how nice the inside looked. She had only experienced the temporary Caf setup in the Boone business building, so she was excited to see and try the new food options.
“I was very surprised by how nice Jernigan looked when I first walked in, especially since I had only experienced the Caf in Boone,” said Sydney. “I’d have to say the pizza station is my favorite. The new brick stove oven has really made a difference in how the pizza tastes.”
The new Jernigan Dining Hall can seat around 525 people. The upstairs will continue to hold the president’s dining room along with student government offices.
Tom Middendorf, university provost and senior vice president, hopes it will be a great place for student government and student leaders. There will also be a conference room, lounge areas, and a large multi-purpose room for student meetings. It will double as a working space for student leaders and a lounge place for students to spend time together and connect.
“What I’m excited the most about is bringing the community back together in a way where we have employees of the university eating with students in the same space,” said Middendorf.
Chuck Seaman, director of financial services, said he hopes the new dining hall achieves student satisfaction. He is very happy with the healthy food options, and that the Hub provides quick to-go food. Seaman said that there is still work to be done to the outside of Jernigan that includes freshening up the columns, redoing the floor on the outside deck and the video wall.
“I think [Jernigan dining hall was] fantastic because I’ve been here so long that I’ve seen what it used to look like. The renovation, to me, is first class. I’m glad that Trevecca invested the money to do it right,” said Seaman. “We think this should be a good recruiting tool for potential students that are coming to check us out.”
The Simple Servings station on the Caf’s main floor is friendly for those allergic to the top eight allergens, including peanuts, nuts, shellfish and eggs. Sodexo workers don’t leave plates out at this station, and instead hand them to students themselves. The equipment behind the line is only used for Simple Serving cooking, so it is cooked fresh right in front of the students and ready to serve.
“The breakfast in Jernigan is my favorite meal that they provide,” said Mattie Buck, a freshman at Trevecca. “The yogurt, granola, and fruit that they have in the mornings is so good.”
Other meal options range from pizza and pasta, to burgers and fries. There is always protein, starch, and vegetables available in the entrée food line. Vegan and vegetarian options are available, along with salad, sandwiches and ice cream in the middle deli section.
