Loyola University students are experiencing a newly renovated Orleans Room this school year. Daniella Alvarez, Sodexo’s marketing specialist, said Loyola Dining Services are committed to seeking out new trends in order to deliver a great dinning experience.

“Over the past three years, we have honored this [commitment] by giving our food court a refresh and adding a Starbucks to our dining roster,” Alvarez said. “[We] have also added new members to our team. All of this has been an integral part of creating a new, fresh and innovative dinning program.

“With all of this in motion, it was about time we gave the Orleans Room some TLC,” she added.

Alvarez hopes students enjoy the cafeteria’s new look.

“We hope the students love the new Orleans Room as much as we do,” she said. “A lot of thought and preparation went into the new look, but we made sure to not lose the ‘homey’ feel that our students have always enjoyed.”

“It’s huge; I love the spacing,” Hamzah Khan, design junior, said. “It looks incredible seeing it from last year to now. It’s unreal.”

Alvarez’s experience in marketing led her to explain the ideas behind designing the OR.

“This will allow for a better flow when it comes to our events,” Alvarez said. “And will allow us to have more guest chef and cooking demo options because it will be better to display the food and culinary expertise.”

Music sophomore Jack Wright noted the open feel of the new layout.

“I saw some posts on Instagram and was intrigued by the concept,” Wright said. “I always appreciated the old OR, but seeing the renovations, it’s been really welcoming. I love how open everything feels.”

Alvarez said despite the changes, OR classics remain.

“One thing to remember, is that even though you will find so many new changes, the Orleans Room staples like Josh’s pasta line and Steve’s vegetarian station haven’t gone anywhere,” Alvarez said.

“Some changes we are really excited about are the new seating layout, the built-in ice cream cooler; we will now be making fresh bread every day in our new bread oven and ‘agua fresca’ options.”