Views on The Grotto Commons: Underclassmen

Lauren Abbott, Contributing writer

Knowing that the dining hall would be newly renovated when I arrived on campus for the first time was really exciting for me as a freshman.

Now I don’t know too much about the old Egan Dining Hall, but I can say that I am enjoying the new Grotto Commons.

Coming into college, I was expecting the food to be set on a boring rotation cycle that mixed up the options on a limited basis.

While you can always count on there being pasta and potatoes somewhere, the Commons offers a large enough range of daily dish selections so that there is always at least one new thing to try.

What the Grotto Commons offers is a multiplicity of options that are similar yet still different enough that you do not feel like you are eating the same thing every single day.

So far I have really enjoyed the pork tacos and I have not encountered any food that I could call my least favorite.

I was excited that the Commons stays open until 10 p.m. so I could get a snack during late night Netflix binge-watching and procrastination. But when going to get said snack, I find that most of the stations have already been closed off for the night. All that is  left  behind is pizza, the salad bar, and  left over grille items.

This is a real bummer considering you are then left to choose from whatever options have been left sitting out.

One thing that has been pointed out to me is that while the new entrance have left getting into and out of the Commons easier, the interior with the added bar seating made the inside feel more crowded.

With the new renovation it is hard to push through the throngs of people and try to distinguish which line is for which station.

The new allergy-free station has been getting a lot of praise from multiple students. One of my friends even said that this addition has allowed them to actually eat something other than cereal for a change.

They also enjoyed how it gave them a variety of options to choose from so they aren’t stuck with only three options.

Mercyhurst’s school colors are blue, green and white.  I was confused to find that they chose to decorate the dining hall in yellow.

All in all, I think the Grotto Commons is a welcome change to the scenery of college dining and while it may have not gotten everything perfect, it definitely has its perks.