By Emma King, Staff Writer
Wednesday, in the middle of Memorial Dining Hall’s after-Chapel lunch rush, Waco sophomore Seth Findley stood up on his chair, tapped his plastic cup with his fork and asked the masses of hungry students how much they loved the new Memorial.
“I just love the new Memo!” Findley said.
The first day of classes doubled as opening day for the 1845 at Memorial dining hall. The three and a half month renovation led to a brighter and more open interior with more of a modern twist than the previous Memorial.
“It looks a lot nicer and there’s more seating than there used to be,” Katy sophomore Lorin Mott said.
Instead of a cream color, the walls are now two tones of grey, accented with white trim and a few large screen TVs. The floors are now hardwood and the ceiling now has lights built in to it. There is still booth seating and chairs, but the chairs all match each other and they match the tables. Some of the chairs even have cushioned seats and backs.
Finding a quiet corner or an empty table is still hard during peak meal times though.
“I feel like there are more people who come here now,” said Pflugerville sophomore Tori Dinan.
However, despite the new faces or more faces, most of the friendly staff faces have stayed the same.
“Overall, the staff’s been really great adapting to all the new equipment and learning everything,” said Danielle Coley, Aramark location manager for Memorial. “We really want them to still feel at home here at Memorial.”
Memorial kept their famous flying saucers, omelettes and cookies, updated their deli with a carving block, changed their salad bar and added a gelato bar. Coley said she’s been getting good reactions from staff and returning students.
Rosie Kennedy, who has been working with Baylor dining services for 15 years, said she loves the updates and the new atmosphere. Usually, she works from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., serving breakfast and lunch in the new Memorial.
“Everybody comes in and they just love it,” she said.
Kennedy said she even loves the staff’s new 1845 Memorial shirts.
She said Wednesdays are the busiest days for Memorial and sometimes the staff does get stressed out, but she said they always work everything out.
“You’re going to always have some kinks, even when we had the old Memorial,” Kennedy said.
She said it takes a while for everyone to get back in a working routine when they come back from summer break.
“It took maybe about four or five days for everyone to catch up,” Kennedy said.
Now that they have gotten everything off the ground, it seems to be running smoothly. Students are still being fed and Kennedy is still smiling behind her station.
“I have no problems at all,” Kennedy said.
Get the ‘Memo’? New 1845 dining hall at Memorial becomes campus favorite from Baylor Lariat on Vimeo.
