N.C. State’s Centennial Campus will welcome its first permanent, full-service dining facility since its inception 25 years ago when On the Oval Culinary Creations opens in August 2013.
On the Oval will be located in the Wolf Ridge Housing Complex, which will make it an easy walk for students and faculty coming from the James B. Hunt Library, the College of Textiles campus and the engineering buildings.
Jennifer Gilmore, director of Marketing and Promotions for Campus Enterprises, said the Oval was an opportunity for University Dining to “create something from scratch and start fresh.”
“We are investing in state-of-the-art equipment and stepping out to the forefront of campus dining trends as we prepare to open On the Oval to put N.C. State on the map for its dining services,” Gilmore said.
She said the Atrium on N.C. State’s main campus had many constraints because it was being built for a place that already existed.
With a seating capacity of 420 people, the new food court should help remedy the dining dilemma on Centennial Campus.
Gilmore said that the Atrium, in comparison, has a seating capacity of 260 people.
“I think our engineering students will really enjoy the science-based theme of the Oval,” Gilmore said.
It features four micro restaurants – Cold Fusion, Fahrenheit, Flash Point and Newton’s Diner and Grill.
“Efficiency is the highest priority,” Gilmore said. “We do not want to waste our students’ money on something that will not work.”
Because it is low maintenance, University Dining will be able to open the venue for breakfast, late nights and weekends.
William Yandle, a senior in materials science and engineering, said, “I would rather have a more communal area for dining. The new dining area looks like it will provide that.”
According to Gilmore, some facilities, such as the iCafe, are temporary fixes to “tithe the campus over until more permanent facilities could be set in place.”
Gilmore said the periodic table C-Store in Engineering Building I will shut down when the On the Oval opens because it will no longer be needed.
“The NC State Bookstores, however, will have a hybrid bookstore and convenience store in Wolf Ridge to provide snacks and beverages,” Gilmore said.
Gilmore said privately-owned food trucks have also served various parts of campus throughout this transition period for University Dining.
“The key to getting people to want to eat dining hall food is to make it not taste like dining hall food,” Yandle said.
Gilmore said more culinary chefs have been hired in recent years to help improve the quality of the campus dining experience and expand on menu selections.
She said more renovation projects are set to take place in the near future.
