The Blue
Tribune
The Blue Tribune is your place to learn about all things Covenant and keep up with stories from campus and beyond. By guiding you through the different aspects of Covenant, we'll help you decide if you want to pursue your very own Covenant experience.
What's the Food Like at Covenant?
Prospective students and their parents often ask the question, 鈥淲hat鈥檚 the food like here? Be honest!鈥� To all the parents and prospective students seeking a candid perspective from a current Covenant student about the Great Hall and the campus dining experience鈥攍ook no further. This is for you.
Omelets and Bagpipes
It takes some skill to navigate the Great Hall鈥檚 several food stations spread throughout what was once the largest ballroom in the South, now transformed into our cafeteria. There are six different food stations scattered throughout the Great Hall. The Interaction Station features the most variety from pho or ramen to 鈥渨alking tacos,鈥� tacos made in a bag of Fritos. This station is usually manned by Shawn, who makes spectacular omelets in the mornings, and Josh, who prepares lunch and dinner right in front of students as they chat about disc golf, bagpipes, and everything in between. To the right of the Interaction Station is the salad bar which has several options of protein and vegetables.
Resident鈥檚 Favorite Meals
Behind the Interaction Station sits the Homestyle Bar, which鈥攖hough varying in quality from day to day鈥攊s part of a rotating menu of mass-produced hot meals. Campus favorites include popcorn chicken, shrimp scampi, and a universal thunderous approval from the student body whenever orange chicken makes an appearance. Of course there are some days when the food at homestyle isn鈥檛 quite cutting it, and you鈥檇 much rather make yourself a bagel or head over to the Deli Station for a turkey sandwich on a pretzel bun with pesto mayo and extra pickles. Right next to homestyle is the Hearth Station which is where our never ending supply of pizza is provided. On occasions there will be a dessert option of cinnamon bread. Lastly, the 鈥淶one鈥� offers food for those avoiding wheat, egg, milk, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, sesame, and shellfish.
Getting Creative with Great Hall Masters
When times get hard and you can't find a satisfying meal in one place, then you may have to seek out ingredients to construct a dish. Jonah Hitchcock 鈥�24, former biology major, current admissions counselor, and Great Hall hall of famer, says, 鈥淵ou have to get creative!鈥� During his time at Covenant, he has built up an impressive mental cookbook. He gave me one recipe that was eventually coined as the 鈥渟avory waffle.鈥� What might sound like a possible disaster is actually a work of genius. Hitchcock said, 鈥淭ake green onions, hash browns, cheese, and bacon bits, either from the salad bar or from homestyle, and take them to any one of the waffle irons.鈥� Those ingredients combined with waffle batter creates a crispy, cheesy, savory waffle. Add sour cream or ketchup to keep it savory, or drizzle honey or maple syrup to strike a sweet-and-savory note.
Many current students enjoy mixing condiments to create different sauces for dunking their food in. Mac Messer 鈥�28, a pre-engineering major, enjoys mixing hot sauce and ranch together, saying, 鈥淚 like my ranch spicy.鈥� Others mix yellow and blue Powerade or blend ice cream with drinks to make frosted lemonades or root beer floats. Making the most of every station is key to crafting an exciting meal.
Community in and outside the GH
Not only does the Great Hall provide meals, the 鈥淕H,鈥� as students like to call it, hosts events like pumpkin carving, Oktoberfest, Easter egg hunts, and candy buffets to add variety and boost student morale. Dining Services constantly invites students to share feedback, especially regarding allergies or dietary needs, and works to adjust the menu to ensure everyone has access to a sustainable, satisfying meal.
If you just can't find what you want in the Great Hall, or if you鈥檙e having a rough day and want something you can fall back on, walk out of the GH and turn left. Down the North hallway, you鈥檒l find the campus caf茅, The Blink. Each student gets $75 to spend here鈥攂ut this goes quickly, so use it wisely. Students tend to order Starbucks coffee, quesadillas, or the buffalo chicken wrap, which even earned a sticker in tribute to its campus fame.
All in all, Covenant Dining isn鈥檛 meant to be fine dining鈥攊t鈥檚 not 鈥渕om鈥檚 home cooking鈥斺�� but there are plenty of options, provided by a thoughtful staff working to prepare large portions of good food for us students.