Written by Evelyn Dunn, Staff Writer

The Palms Dining Hall has gone through some changes for this semester which includes a whole new remodel, more food options, and are even getting bigger crowd with the new improvements.

The new spaces provided for seating are noticeable right out the gate, or through the front doors at least. Thanks to the removal the island that use to be in the middle of the main room where the salad and soups were, students have better seating accommodations. The salad bar is now against the wall, where students claim is a much better access point. There are also new dressing bottles that are much cleaner and easy to use than the ladles they had last year.

The whole area that contained Moe’s and Papa Johns has been taken out and turned into more high-top seating. With the nice view of the patio outside, this new addition is worth it. Provided in this new area is also an allergen free station, where everything is cooked specifically to the needs of people that could possibly have a food allergy. To finish it off, there is also a soda machine to convenience ones sitting in that area.

Besides the added stations, the food is more or less the same. Students mentioned that they thought some of the food seemed healthier or the main entrée station had a more rounded diet for everyone versus last year. The pizza, grill, and pasta bar are as good as ever, with the grill line still being the longest. The desserts are still great, but it depends on what time they were set out if they are stale or not.

Palms still seems to hold a good crowd during dinner and lunch. Around noon, it is packed, with the new available seating being a blessing. However, in the evening the crowd is a little thinned out, perhaps because they close so early and dining at the Student Union or Blazer Grille is a better option when students do not get out of class early enough.

The improvements to Palms Dining are considerable compared to last year. At that time, the main issue during busy hours was the limited amount of seating. Now, it poses much less of a problem with the new renovations. There are more options from the food stations and new placements, like the salad bar, provides better access.

Improvements that do need to be looked over, however, are small. While the salad bar is still offered in the main entrance room, the soup and desserts have been nearly hidden from view. Both seemed pushed into the corners, each on opposite sides of the building.

Overall, Palms Dining has certainly gone through some changes for the better this semester. The goal is to offer the best services possible to students, and they still achieve that goal. They definitely provides a better dining experience with these changes.