Liberty Dining celebrates the end of an era

It’s not just the end of the academic year at Liberty University, it’s the end of an era.

After 31 years, The Food Court at Reber-Thomas will close its current doors and transition to a brand new building across campus.

“We always celebrate the end of the academic year by hosting a big end of year event at The Food Court at Reber-Thomas, but this year was extra special since this event was the very last we’ll hold within the current structure the dining hall resides,” said Marketing Manager Shelby Burton.

Liberty Dining Services by Sodexo created a music festival-themed event “Rotopalooza,” playing off the nickname of The Food Court at Reber-Thomas, “The ROT”. Students and guests could partake of free face painting, balloon art, and caricatures from local vendors Sublime Creations; Balloon Dude Travis; and Caricatures by Jed.

The musical act featured a Liberty University student cover band, The Planetz, who played live.

Liberty Dining’s marketing team merchandised commemorative dining hall themed tee-shirts which sold out that night.

Liberty’s executive chefs put together a delicious menu inspired by artisan food trucks, simulating a “food truck park” inside the dining hall. The menu featured customizable stations, including a hot dog bar, sweet potato fry bar, fried rice bar, and street tacos, complemented by create-your-own cinnamon rolls and cupcake sundaes.

Burton said the celebration was fun for everyone who attended, but also bittersweet for the dining team.

“My favorite thing about the old dining hall is just how excited and happy all of the students were during their time here,” said District Manager Duke Davis. “So, I love that we were able to host a special event that brought big smiles to their faces. In the end, we will miss this location, but I'm excited to show students their new dining hall in August when they return. It's going to be a big wow for students and the campus.”

Some have been at The Food Court at Reber-Thomas since it opened, like Resident Operations Manager Jeanie Griffis, who will be retiring after this semester concludes.

“The campus has grown beyond anything I could have imagined in my thirty-three years here,” said Griffis. “It’s been wonderful watching the students grow up from freshman to senior year, seeing them go from teens to adults. I will miss the friendships of both students and employees but have years of memories, and I will continue to keep up with everyone through social media.”

A 120,000-square-foot, two-story structure, located between Residential Commons III and Liberty Lake, will offer 40 percent more interior space than the current Food Court at Reber-Thomas, with a capacity of 2,700 seats.

Sodexo will operate approximately 30 food stations including an allergen-free zone, a front-facing bake shop in the dessert area (including gluten-free baked goods), and an exhibition kitchen station for hosting student cooking classes.

“I’m also Liberty University alumnus, so I have a ton of memories through my college years of eating and hanging out with my friends at the dining hall,” said Burton. “It was important to me that the event was an overall success and proper goodbye to the dining hall where I met some lifelong friends.”