The Warren Towers dining hall underwent renovations this summer, reworking the floor plan and expanding the variety of food. New stations include a wok station, a gluten-free pantry and kitchen and an updated deli selection.
Kurt Steinberg, the executive chef at Warren dining, said the renovations were tough, but the workers ultimately did a great job.
“I was watching the guys building this, and it was amazing to go from not thinking it was going to be ready weeks before we were open — they were working here the day before the day of opening — to being ready,” he said.
One of the main renovations is the gluten-free selection. Steinberg described the gluten-free kitchen as “beautiful” and “a restaurant kitchen on its own.”
“With the amount of people that are gluten-free, it became one of our priorities to get on board. We would do gluten-free-friendly stations before, but this is totally gluten-free,” he said. “We have a pantry that those students will have access to … [and] we have a separate crew of people that will work there, so there won’t be any mix-up.”
Another major renovation is the new wok station. This station will essentially focus on cuisine from China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore, according to the BU Dining Services website. It will serve full meals, meaning that entrees, salads, soups and desserts will all be offered at the one station.
Steinberg said he has worked with other chefs on the menu and focused on featuring a variety of Asian countries.
“We found the recipes by going online, looking through books, trying to find recipes that were as authentic as we could get them and that students would want to have,” he said. “We spent the whole summer doing taste-testing down at the GSU three times a week. We have desserts coming out soon.”
The deli station was also renovated to include two new panini presses that will help move the long lines quickly.
“The deli has ovens that are similar to what Starbucks has, but these are the newest model. It’s sort of a panini maker but a microwave, so you get consistent heat,” Steinberg said. “We have more refrigeration. We have a better flow with two lines. We’ve done a great job.”
Several returning students said they are satisfied with the renovated dining hall, despite the fact that there is now less seating for students.
Ashtan Raniga, a junior in the College of Communication, said he was surprised to see the renovations.
“Although I was a little skeptical on BU taking out seating in the dining hall, I do like the added variety with the two new stations,” he said. “It’s especially nice for me because I can’t eat gluten so now I feel welcome when I eat there.”
Hannah Wolf, a sophomore in the Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, also lamented the loss of some seating, but said she is glad to see the additions.
“I think the Asian [cuisine station] will be a nice addition,” she said. “I’m not gluten-free, so I don’t really notice it, but I think it will be nice for people who need it.”
Some freshmen were more than happy to enjoy all that the dining hall had to offer as they began their first day of classes.
Jonnathan Heitzman, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences , said he is excited to make use of his unlimited dining plan.
“I just love food,” said Heitzman. “I came from a public school system that doesn’t really have the best food, so to come to a private university system where they have better quality food is pretty awesome.”
Devansh Patel, a freshman in CAS, is happy to see that the food in the dining hall is far better than the food offered in the boarding school from which he graduated.
“I’m really happy with the different foods they’re offering,” Patel said. “It’s really quite amazing because you can have anything you want.”
Jon Winkler, a freshman in the College of Engineering, said his first experience at Warren dining was “overwhelming.”
“You walk in, and it’s … people everywhere, so many choices, a lot of places to sit, and good food,” he says. “There was tons of variety.”
