Eastern Michigan University is preparing to launch an overhaul of campus dining services this fall, introducing expanded options, longer hours, and a new way to shop at the markets as administrators move to address one of student’s longstanding frustrations.
EMU President Brendan Kelly said complaints about dining became one of the first issues he prioritized after arriving at the University in April.
“Hours were the number one thing that I heard,” Kelly said during an interview. “Things were closed at such weird times. It was just access, lack of responsiveness to preference and the curtailing of options.”
The university plans to replace several existing dining concepts while redesigning services around when and where students actually need food.
EDining announced its expanded hours of operation for restaurants, markets, and The Commons for the 2027-2027 year. Photo courtesy of Melissa Thrasher
Among the biggest changes, Chick-fil-A will move from its longstanding spot at McKenny Hall student union to the Student Center. A new restaurant, the Daily Bagel, will take its place in McKenny; serving breakfast sandwiches, coffee, and bagels in the morning, before transitioning to lunch later in the day.
Another new location, Copperhead Jacks, will offer build-your-own mexican food in The Eateries.
The Student Center will also house Starbucks, Little Caesars, and a new market focused on Michigan-made products.
As for the Commons; renovations are planned to modernize the space and expand menu variety for students who regularly use meal plans.
Another upcoming change will take place at the Eateries market. Instead of limited hours, the market will now remain open seven days a week during building hours. There will also be international snacks and food options designed to serve EMU's international student population.
Kelly said the university officials surveyed international students while designing the concept; helping international students connect to their roots while they’re studying, at times, an ocean away from home was important for Kelly.
“When you’re an international student, sometimes you have to go off-campus to get that thing that makes you feel at home,” Kelly said.
The university is also expanding dining flexibility by allowing Flex Dollars to be used at all campus dining locations and introducing meal swipe combinations that can be redeemed at restaurants outside of the Commons.
Kelly also noticed an impracticality in hours throughout the University prior to his arrival. Specifically, the coffee shop in the Eateries; which Kelly said will now be open in the morning, ready for students to utilize before morning classes.
“We should be more intuitive,” Kelly said. “Dining should be more intuitive. I should know where I can get something to eat. I should know when. Those should be open at natural times.”
Kelly said that multiple other projects around campus are in the works, but for now, Kelly hopes the changes in the dining experience will help students enjoy their campus experience a little more; overhauling one of the most student-criticized aspects of campus life.
"I look at dining as part of the experience," Kelly said. "Most universities look at it as transactional. I look at it as part of how you experience the entire campus."
