h&d-rolls-out-new-spring-dining-schedule
Servery times staggered, continuous weekday dining now available
Housing and Dining unveiled a restructured dining schedule for the spring semester, introducing extended meal times and continuous weekday dining. Lunch and dinner times are staggered at different serveries — for example, Baker offers lunch from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., while Seibel offers lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Under the new plan, at least one servery will be open at any given time between 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on weekdays.
Breakfast options at select locations have also expanded to include cinnamon rolls, omelets and other new additions, according to an email from Rice Dining.
Olivia Seo, Brown College’s food ambassador, said the new schedule was designed based on existing student dining patterns. H&D gleaned these patterns from swipe data, which provides insight into serveries and mealtimes with the highest foot traffic, Seo, a sophomore, said. Each college’s food ambassador works with H&D to provide student input on dining options.
“[H&D] found that North and South weren’t heavily utilized for breakfast, so those were the serveries chosen to close,” Seo said. “Meanwhile, Baker’s hours were extended because it’s the most central location on campus.”
Aspen Viamontes, a McMurtry College freshman, said that they appreciated the extended hours at Baker Servery, despite its distance from Viamontes’ home college.
“I tend to forget to eat until late,” Viamontes said. “Having Baker open until 9 p.m. is definitely helpful, but it’s not the most practical when it’s on the other side of campus … I understand the reasoning, but it’s not ideal for everyone.”
Summer Orr, a Duncan College sophomore, said she was frustrated by the new operating hours, which are now inconsistent across serveries. Like Viamontes, she also expressed concern about having to walk to different serveries across campus.
“It takes more effort to figure out where and when to eat now,” Orr said. “No one was asking for cinnamon rolls at the expense of losing breakfast at their nearby servery. Especially in winter, who wants to walk across campus for breakfast?”
While the new schedule has faced criticism, changes like menu adjustments reflect ongoing student feedback, said Jones College food ambassador Daijah Wilson.
“A big change implemented because of student input was the return of popular breakfast items like cinnamon rolls and grab-and-go frittatas,” Wilson, a sophomore, wrote in a message to the Thresher. “It feels good to see that student voices are valued on this campus. H&D is encouraging of student engagement, and they’ve been responsive to our feedback.”
Continuous dining — when dining options are available all day — is intended to benefit busier students, Wilson said.
“I really hope continuous dining helps off-campus students and those with tough schedules have more access to food day to day,” Wilson said.
Johnny Curet, director of campus dining, said the schedule was also structured to avoid long waits for meals. To accommodate the additional dining hours, H&D staff now work in staggered shifts to “ensure consistent coverage,” Curet said.
“The extended hours help spread dining traffic more evenly, and we’ve added grab-and-go options and self-serve stations to increase speed and convenience,” Curet wrote in an email to the Thresher. “We will continue to monitor traffic flows and make adjustments to improve the experience further.”
According to Kyle Hardwick, director of culinary excellence, the extended hours rely on hot and cold holding equipment to maintain ideal serving conditions.
“Dishes are rotated and replenished regularly to ensure freshness, and we’ve implemented training programs to ensure our staff are equipped to maintain high standards across all meal periods,” Hardwick wrote in an email to the Thresher.
Seo said the dining schedule is a work in progress.
“It’s still evolving,” Seo said. “H&D is actively listening to feedback and making adjustments.”
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