The Southwick dining hall—now officially the Southwick Food Court—closed for renovations since early last summer, is now open.

The differences are sure to be a shock to some people. The biggest change is the size: while the old dining hall was roughly 4,500 square feet with seating space for 145 people, the new facility seats close to 300 in an area just under 9,000 square feet. Much of the extra space has been gained through a makeover of what used to be a student lounge which has now been given over to tables and booths for diners.

Another big change is the layout of the space. The serving area used to be on the left as you entered; it is now on the right, extending the full length of the wall where the student mailboxes once were, and includes a rotisserie oven, convection oven and grill area, with three times the serving space as before.

The area is in two separate sections: the space that made up the old dining hall and the location of the former students’ lounge. There are now two flat-screen TVs in different locations for dining-hall viewing.

There are more than a half a dozen different made-to-order stations for diners to choose from. Below is an overview of what each station has to offer.

Grille Works offers daily specials like the bacon, mushroom and Swiss burger or marinated grilled portabello burger, in addition to favorites like the 6 oz. grilled sirloin burger with melted American cheese on a toasted bun with French fries. 
 
Bene Pasta is a pasta station featuring the finest of ingredients for dishes like such as Lemon Chicken Orzo. 

The Corner Deli allows diners to choose from gourmet sandwich creations like the Ranchero, a grilled chicken sandwich partnered with bacon, cheddar cheese, mixed greens, sliced tomato, drizzled with a spicy ranch dressing and served on ciabatta bread.
 
At HomeWorks, diners will find favorite ethnic and comfort foods. The menu varies from Rotisserie Chicken with mashed potatoes to Steak Burritos with Santa Fe Rice.
 
Loose Leafs offers diners the ability to build their own salads or choose the specialty of the day. 

Bene Pizza features hand-stretched and rolled dough with cheese, pepperoni and fresh vegetables. 
 
Shakers is a smoothie station with a wide variety of ingredients, including Green Mountain coffees, to create the perfect refreshment between classes.

Green Mountain Coffee provides a rotating blends of coffee, as well as lattes and cappuccinos, at the coffee station.