Seasons Marketplace is spicing up ISU Dining.

Replacing the old Maple-Willow-Larch dining center, Seasons strives to offer students a better dining experience and bridge the gap between the east and west side of campus.

“Union Drive Marketplace had this beautiful marketplace concept and [MWL] had this older style,” said Nancy Levandowski, director of ISU Dining. “We did our best to try to offer as much as we could, but the facility was fighting us, so we had to do the work.”

Fundamentally, the old MWL dining center has been changed inside and out. Major renovations were done so students could get the flexibility they wanted in their food choices.

“For years, food service, because labor is so expensive, had become tear the bag open, plop it in the pan and stick it in the steamer,” Levandowski said. “And what we’re doing is taking people back to taking meat, curing them, smoking them; taking chicken, adding flavors to them; understanding how to do a sauce appropriately, making your dough and pressing the pizza dough, not getting a frozen shell and throwing it in a pan. And that’s been a huge part of what we’re trying to accomplish here.”

Along with the kitchens, the floor plan was completely redesigned. Different neighborhoods were built, using different styles of floor, ceiling and chairs, to give diners the impression that they have more space.

Elizabeth Burns-Thompson, sophomore in agricultural business, complimented the design and said the atmosphere was an added plus.

In the redesign of Seasons, the ISU Dining staff used this opportunity to try new and unique things. Simply H20, water with a hint of fruit, offers students a healthy alternative to pop; the Hickory’s BBQ is the only place on campus that uses a smoker to cook its food; the salad bar was expanded; and Sunday dinner is now offered.

Possibly the most noticeable difference is the lack of trays. The decision to lose trays was voted on by the Inner Residence Hall Association last year in order to curb food waste and obesity.

“What happens with a tray is people go around and pick up something at each place and then sit down and eat,” Levandowki said. “What happens here is people walk around and see what there is and pick up what they want to eat.” 

The effect of trayless dining may sound dubious, but the numbers support the theory.

“There is one-third less waste. It’s two-thirds more at Union Drive compared to here,” Levandowski said.

Student reactions to the changes have been positive.

“It’s a lot nicer. I worked in Oak-Elm last year, so it is definitely a step up,” Burns-Thompson said.

Brittny Rebhuhn, freshman in performing arts, agreed.

“I think it’s really cool. It’s not just like a regular old cafeteria,” Rebhuhn said. “It feels like you’re going out to eat instead of a regular cafeteria place.”

“I think of anything people would say we, ISU Dining, exceeded their expectations,” Levandowski said.