Dining Hall to double in next two years

The Dining Hall in the Rayburn Student Center is set for an expansion, but students will have to wait "at least two years" before it is complete, according to Sodexo General Manager Charles Lear.

The University is partnering with Sodexo on the planned expansion that would double the seating capacity inside the Dining Hall. Until then, students will have to cope with overcrowding around the lunch hours, which often leaves patrons standing, with plates and drinks in hand, waiting for a table to open up.

There are about 100-150 more people entering the Dining Hall during peak lunch hours – from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – this year compared to last year, according to Lear.

"While we do understand the crowding in the Dining Hall is a problem, I guess we are looking at it as a good problem to have to deal with," he said. "Growth is a great thing and often comes with growing pains, but it sets the path for a bigger and better facility in the future."

Lear expects the number of students in the Dining Hall at one time to even out over the first two weeks of school based on past experience.

"The times that there was no seating was very minimal, if at all, most days," Lear said about last year's Dining Hall numbers. "Just as last year, after the first two weeks of school the flow gets better as students get more in tune with the campus and their daily routine."

Within the first two weeks of the semester, students have been left frustrated by the lack of seating available at peak hours. Freshman Gabby Tucker, a sports and recreational management major, has a class that ends right around peak lunch hours.

"This is ridiculous," she said while holding her plate and drink. "They really need to expand. I could come later, but I'm hungry. It's lunch time."

Transfer student and math major Harsh Upadhyay came to A&M-Commerce from UT-Arlington, which hosts over 33,000 students. He said at his former university, there was never a problem with cafeteria crowds. Upadhyay also said he thinks a carryout option, which A&M-Commerce had up until fall of last year, would help the crowd situation.

"They have a bigger cafeteria, and they have to-go boxes," Upadhyay said. "That would make sense. If you had nowhere to sit, you could just get a box and take it out."

Lear also has tips for students who find themselves getting caught in the rush.

"My advice to students would be to avoid this peak lunch time if all possible so that students who are forced to eat during the peak times due to class schedules may eat," Sodexo said. "Plan to eat lunch at 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., or after 1 p.m. if your schedule allows. Please sit at tables that are the right size of your group; often, we have one or two students sitting at a table for six."

Lear said FLEX dollars have been increased "to give a retail option to those who want to avoid the Dining Hall" when the crowds get too large.