Ross Dining Hall has changed its hours and offerings for the second time this year. Starting at the beginning of J-Term, the dining hall closes between 3:30 and 5:30 p.m., and does not serve breakfast until 10 a.m. on weekends, a departure from the continuous dining that began this fall. Ross has also returned to a more varied menu, serving options other than the more limited range of pub food favorites it provided in the fall.
Dan Detora, executive director of Food Service Operations explained the reasons for the change in hours. Staying open continuously from 7 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. put a strain on the Ross Dining staff, Detora stated.
“There really was no down time for them to have a break,” he wrote in an email to The Campus.
Detora added that Dining Services currently has eight open full-time positions and is not fully staffed, making it harder for Ross to stay open all day long. This marks a continuation in understaffing in the dining halls that has been an issue since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
There is also a need for downtime to turn off equipment in the dining halls between meals. With continuous dining, this was not possible.
“We need to have time to properly shut down and clean the equipment, particularly the dish machine. The continuous operation caused major issues with our equipment,” Detora wrote.
Finally, the lack of student traffic in the dining halls on weekend mornings led to the decision to open Ross for brunch at 10 a.m. on the weekends. “The volume during the early morning hours on the weekend is very slow and does not require two dining halls open,” Detora added.
Student Government Association (SGA) President Abed Abbas ’24 told The Campus in the fall that he saw the shift to continuous dining as a positive change. Regarding the recent change in Ross hours, Abbas said that it is not ideal but necessary.
“It’s unfortunate that hours have changed,” Abbas said. “But this was a result of something we don’t really have a control over as the dish washing machine kept breaking down for operating all day.”
Abbas shared his concern that Ross being closed between lunch and dinner may be more of an issue come spring semester when students have busier schedules than they do during J-Term.
“The point of having that extended period is to accommodate for students who are busy during lunch time and have that window available,” Abbas said.
Ross introduced continuous dining in the fall to combat the lunch rush that has been a challenge in the dining halls in the past. By and large, there was a positive response from students to this change. Emma Cortina ’24.5 appreciated continuous dining with her busy class schedule.
“It was much needed for students, like myself, who had class during regular lunch hours and would otherwise be left without an option for food,” Cortina said. “It also allowed for spontaneous community and socialization.” She expressed concern that without Ross open between 3:30 and 5:30 p.m., students will lack a place to get meals and snacks, as well as missing the social benefits continuous dining brought.
Detora emphasized that this change was necessary to accommodate the schedules of Ross Dining Hall staff. He said that staff, particularly managers, have been working overtime to keep up with the continuous dining hours.
“When not fully staffed we cannot offer our normal services and menu,” Detora wrote.
In addition to the changes in hours, Ross now serves a different menu, more closely resembling the offerings of years past and of the other two dining halls instead of pub classics.
“We are trying to go back to a more diverse menu which will not only include pub food, but other traditional student favorites,” Detora wrote. “We are trying to give students more variety within the dining halls.”
The Grille has extended its hours during J-Term and is now open from 5 p.m. until 11:45 p.m. In the fall, The Grille was open only from 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. due to staffing shortages.
“It has been a real struggle within all of dining to find and retain staff,” Detora told The Campus in the fall.
Sarah Kimmel ’24 shared her appreciation for the reinstatement of late-night Grille hours. “It’s a super fun place to go with friends after a night out or to get snacks for a movie night,” Kimmel said. “I’m grateful that it has been able to open given the staff shortages, but I wish the school would give staff better pay given how late they work.”
Abbas noted that the SGA hopes to bring back more late-night dining options soon, including efforts to bring back 10 O’Clock Ross. “Compared to last year, we’re doing much better, but we need student input to know how to direct our efforts,” he said.
Detora added that while the dining halls see a slightly lower volume of students during J-Term compared to the fall and spring semesters, if the new Ross Dining Hall hours work well during J-Term, they will continue for the spring semester.
Susanna Schatz ‘24 (she/her) is the Senior News Editor.
She previously served as Local Editor, Staff Writer, and Visuals Artist for The Campus. She is an English major and Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies minor.
Susanna is the social media and marketing intern for a small business started by Midd Alums, Treeline Terrains. In her free time you’ll find her taking in the Vermont outdoors hiking, swimming, skiing, reading in an Adirondack chair, or painting the scenery.
