Renovations considered for Landon Hall’s cafeteria

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Some details are emerging in future plans for renovations at Landon Hall cafeteria, which could see improvements in three to five years if proposed plans are fully developed, Associate Director of Residential Dining Bruce Haskell said.

Landon Hall renovations could include expanding seating into the nearby study lounges, but would require a detailed plan and approval by the Board of Trustees before any construction takes place, he said.

The potential upgrades to Landon Hall — which have not officially been detailed — would continue a wave of cafeteria construction on campus.

South Pointe at Case Hall opened this semester, the Shaw Hall cafeteria will close in May for construction during the summer and construction at the Akers Hall cafeteria could begin around the same time as Landon, Haskell said.

Brody Square and the Gallery at Snyder and Phillips halls also have been renovated in recent years.
The West Circle and East neighborhoods are the only neighborhoods that have not yet undergone a cafeteria renovation in recent years, he said.

Members of the Residence Halls Association, or RHA, previously discussed concerns with crowding in some cafeterias on campus, including the Landon Hall cafeteria, and possible solutions for easier dining navigation.

Brody Square Chef Joe Murphy spoke to RHA during its last week meeting to update them on the potential renovation plans in the cafeterias.

“None of them seem to be big enough,” he said, referring to some facilities’ rush-hour crowding.
Haskell said he is looking into opening the nearby study lounge and Ivy Room — used for banquets or meetings — for further cafeteria seating in Landon Hall.

But psychology and Japanese senior Ashley Haddix questioned the effectiveness of opening up adjacent rooms to the cafeteria when the cafeteria already has a problem with people taking food when they leave.

“I don’t know how it would work scanning people in,” she said.

The Landon Hall cafeteria faces “huge hurdles” to its development considering the environment in which it was built, Haskell said.

The cafeteria was built in the late 1940s and originally was slated to serve about 400 female students.

As the number of students at MSU has increased, it has been forced to accommodate many more students who come in and out, he said.

Haddix said it is important to keep the quaint feeling of the building while also addressing necessary improvements.

If the university does end up expanding the space, it is important to keep future student needs in mind, she said.

Psychology freshman Tierra Johnson — who works in the Landon Hall cafeteria — said the renovations should occur because more people come to Landon Hall than to nearby Yakeley Hall, and the age of some of the equipment creates backups in serving or cleanup.

“There are times you wait more than five minutes (for food), and you shouldn’t,” she said.

But Johnson did not agree with the idea to expand seating into the study lounge. She said students still will want a quiet place to do schoolwork.

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