New Dining Hall, Who’s Hungry?

Twenty-three years ago, construction began on the building that would come to be known as Holmes Dining Hall.  

Two years later, the building — then named the West Campus Dining Facility — opened, offering a new space for students to get food on campus. 

In the two decades since, the building has remained the same as it was the day it opened, red and black carpets fading under the feet of thousands of University of Northern Colorado (UNC) students. 

This year, that all changed.  

“For years, Holmes has needed a facelift,” said Meagan Johnson, UNC’s director of Dining Services. “So, we did that and then some.” 

In April, Holmes shut its doors to the public in preparation for a major overhaul. The renovation was fueled by a $5.5 million investment from Sodexo, with the goal of transforming the dining hall into a place that showcases new culinary technologies, facilitates training student workers in top-of-the-line cooking techniques and, above all else, creates a space where students want to come and enjoy a meal. 

This project is part of Dining Service’s “One & All” program, which aims to reshape the dining spaces on campus to make them more inviting and welcoming to everyone who comes through their doors. 

Walking into the new and improved Holmes Dining Hall, there’s little about the space that hasn’t changed. From the soaring mountain motifs running along the walls of the entrance hall to the broad, brightly-lit eating spaces and pristine, modern cooking stations, all the way down to details like the vibrant green-and-red moss wall (designed by a team of local artists) that decorates the back wall –– everything about the new space feels intentional and inviting.  

“One of our main goals for this project was to create a space where everyone on campus can come and feel like they belong,” Johnson said. “Students who are away from home for the first time, missing their parents’ cooking or those who have been asking for an updated dining hall for years — this is the space for you.” 

Designed with student feedback in mind, the interior of Holmes now features a dining area split into three distinct spaces.  

Closest to the entrance are stations where students can cook their own meals, with movable tables and chairs most reminiscent of a traditional dining hall.  

This spot is a favorite of Emma Whittaker, a senior Communication Studies major and Holmes Dining Hall student employee.  

“I like how light and open it all is. I never realized how dark the old space was,” Whittaker said. “The group seating makes more opportunities to be inclusive, [for students to] hang out with their friends or even make new friends.” 

In the middle of the dining area, the seating takes on a more lounge-like feel, complete with low couches, booths, dining tables and a large television where students can gather to watch movies. 

Derrick Turner-Marlow, another Holmes student employee and first-year Psychology major, likes this area in particular.  

“There’s a really nice lounge space so students can just come in and chill,” Turner-Marlow said. “There’s plenty of space for everyone to do their own thing and not feel cramped or crowded.” 

Additionally, there’s a private room in the back of the building that anyone can reserve for private events, meals, movie screenings and more. 

And tucked in the very back corner of the hall, diners can enjoy what Johnson dubbed “the library,” a quieter space with more gentle lighting, standalone tables and a suite of study nooks set into the building’s north wall. 

This section is the one that Blake Hays, lead student supervisor at Holmes and senior Earth Sciences major, enjoys the most.   

“I’ve been working here for four years now, and the spaces like the new study booths are awesome. I love it,” Hays said. 

In between the tables and chairs, the pathways have been widened to allow for a more accessible eating environment. 

In addition to the revamped dining spaces, the remodel includes an update to all of the hall’s food stations. Students will be able to enjoy a wide variety of offerings, including Indian food, dining hall staples like pizza and pasta, Mexican food, health-focused options, gluten-free items and more.   

“There’s also been a complete overhaul of the recipes and ways we make the food, so everything should be tasting even better,” Hays said. 

Food stations have been set up to allow students to customize their meals, building dishes in the ways that they’d like instead of offering exclusively pre-made options.  

It’s not just the building or the food that will be new and fresh this fall; Dining Services has a multitude of events like “swipe plus nights” where students can use an extra swipe of their dining plan to access unique and special food offerings. Other events include movies nights, giveaways and more. 

“Every aspect of this project has been in service of trying to make the student experience better,” Johnson said. “We know that if students are eating better, they’re typically happier, healthier, performing better in class and more likely to finish their degrees. Food might seem like a small piece of that, but it’s something that matters a lot to us.”