New dining options were announced for McEwen Dining Hall Tuesday, Jan. 23. The dining options have expanded along with the building design. Part of the new construction includes a glass-walled, two-story atrium.
The University plans to reopen the dining hall in fall 2018 with "more locally owned eateries," according to Owen Covington, director of Elon University News Bureau.
One of the North Carolina-based options is Village Juice Co., which will be located on the second floor along with Pei Wei Asian Diner.
A third retail space on the second floor will be filled after "soliciting feedback from students on their preferences for a new retail option." This space was originally planned to hold Chick-fil-A, but it will not be returning.
The University has not yet announced how they will gather this input from students, but they do say it will be determined during the 2018-19 academic year. Gerald Whittington, senior vice president for Business, Finance and Technology, says the Chick-fil-A company decided not to stay because "the available space did not meet their new, expanded requirements." The renovated space would have the same square footage as the previous location.
Whittington also says this process of getting students involved in the decision is the same that they used when adding "the highly popular Qdoba restaurant at Danieley Center.”
The University also explained the new residential dining hall on the first floor. According to the announcement, it will feature three main stations — Knead, Home & Away and Greens & Grains.
Here's the food to expect from these stations: Knead will have sandwiches, pastries and coffee. Home & Away will hold a variety of "homestyle foods" and options for those with dietary requirements, such as vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free. Green & Grains will hold a "robust soup and salad bar," with a large variety of toppings and dressings.
All of the residential dining hall options will be available for those with campus meal plans as well as those purchasing a single meal.
The newest dining option on-campus, Mediterranean Deli, is said to be opening in February 2018, according to Covington. The Chapel Hill-based restaurant has been under construction for months on the first floor of Park Place at Elon on West Haggard Avenue, and was set to open December 2017.