Campus Dining introduced changes to its services for spring 2025 in a press release on Jan. 13. According to the press release, these updates were developed in response to feedback collected from student surveys, the Dining Advisory Board and Vanderbilt Student Government.
Changes include extended hours for Munchie Marts, all of which will now operate from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. CST on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. CST on weekends. Common Grounds will continue to serve fresh pastries.
Zeppos Dining Hall will now feature falafel, salmon cakes and gyros on select days, alongside a salad bar with house-made ranch dressing and a new soft-serve ice cream station. The Kitchen at Kissam now offers poke bowls on Monday evenings and Friday afternoons. Rand Dining Hall will see the addition of a pasta station at lunch, grilled chicken sandwiches at Chef James Bistro and comfort food-inspired sides, such as mac and cheese. Whole milk will also be available for self-pour.
Junior Anthony Rodas said he already enjoys Rand’s new additions.
“The rotating sides at Rand are really good, like the mac and cheese,” Rodas said. “Having gone one time, it was unexpected that they had [mac and cheese], and it was a delicious addition to the burger and fries I had with it.”
Sophomore Cadence Choo echoed Rodas’ sentiments regarding changes to the Rand menu.
“The comfort food station at Rand also impressed me. Having a spot to pick up grilled cheese for a quick snack is something I’m glad was added,” Choo said.
Additional updates include new offerings at Commons Dining Hall, including a taco station on weekday afternoons and soups on select days. The pizza station will transition to a pasta station during dinner hours, while the Grille will provide chicken breast options in the afternoons and evenings.
At E. Bronson Ingram Dining Hall, Sunday brunch will include breakfast bakes and crepes, while the Power Plant and Daily Juice stations will expand their lunch menus. Dinner rotations at the Global Meats station will bring more variety, and their Friendsgiving meal — which includes maple-brined smoked chicken, mashed sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, dressing and a pumpkin dessert —- will now be part of the regular menu rotation.
Senior Younes Moursal praised the variety that the new dining changes bring. He stated that Zeppos and EBI have become his top go-to dining spots since the changes made last semester.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing these new upgrades because, honestly, Zeppos food has been feeling a bit repetitive lately, and adding options like gyros sounds amazing,” Moursal said in a message to The Hustler. “Plus, EBI definitely needed more variety during lunch since the menu often felt the same every day.”
Rothschild Dining Hall will see the return of Swaadisht, a South Asian-inspired station, along with additional beef, fish, vegan and vegetarian dishes. The ramen bar will feature more topping options during dinner hours, and the Rice, Rice Baby station will offer stir-fried noodles at specific meal periods. Additionally, Carmichael Café will introduce a rotating menu that includes calzones, charcuterie, tapas and cicchetti during dinner service. Soups will also be available.
Choo stated that she was excited for the new changes at each dining hall, as she felt that eating fried rice at Rothschild every time was repetitive.
“[Rothschild] added noodles, which I tried for the first time, and, overall, they were pretty good,” Choo said.
Junior Chloe Kim highlighted some of her favorite additions included in the new changes, emphasizing the return of poke bowls to Kissam, which she said were her favorite meals since her freshman year.
“I’m particularly excited about the addition of the calzones at Carmichael and poke bowls on Monday nights,” Kim said.
Senior Lian Luo reflected on the recent dining changes, expressing appreciation for the effort put into diversifying food options.
“I think it’s cool to see how Vanderbilt is adding a variety of food options across different dining halls, and I can tell they put thought into it,” Luo said. “I personally tried my friend’s calzone, which tasted pretty good.”
Beyond these changes, Campus Dining is offering new programming to foster connections between students and faculty. A new Dine and Discuss program will launch this spring, which will allow students to enjoy one complimentary meal per semester with a faculty member of their choice at select dining locations.
Choo shared her thoughts about the program after hearing about its upcoming launch.
“This [is] a really creative idea, as it will allow students to better connect with faculty outside the classroom setting,” Choo said.