After 10 months of drilling, dust and miles of yellow “Caution” tape — some of which is still hanging around — the Food Court in the Memorial Union is now open for business.

Gone are the dark, leather-seated chairs, pocket-knife scarred wood tables and the cafeteria-style viddles. The renovations have ushered in bright lights, big menus and mixed feelings about the new area.

Amid the swarm of students trekking through the court on their way to or from the University Bookstore are others who are among the first to sample the cuisine from seven new restaurants. From familiar favorites like McDonald’s Express, to nachos at Casa Ortega and chicken sandwiches at Chick-fil-A, students seemed Tuesday to like the range of food available at the new facilities.

“There’s a good variety,” said Kevin Crotty, a freshman in computer engineering. He and Jennifer Hamski, a freshman in accounting, were visiting the food court for the second time in as many days to grab some subs. They both plan to come back during the semester to get lunch between classes.

Neither had seen what the Commons had looked like before all of the hullabaloo, but they both agreed that the renovations were “really impressive,” Crotty said. “It’s nice-looking; it’s got a nice contemporary look to it.”

But older students, who had become accustomed to the Commons before its major makeover, were not as wholly complimentary about its new self. They did point out many positive points, however.

Kristen Stegeman, a senior in art and design, said the new restaurants make lunch a whole lot easier. She works downstairs at the M.U. bowling alley. “It’s kinda nice now, because I can get fast food just upstairs,” she said. “And bringing fast food downstairs is more convenient.”

Chris Metschke, a senior in mechanical engineering, said the current selection of food is much better than what the Commons had to offer. “Most people don’t wanna eat cafeteria food,” he said.

Chris Halfman, another senior in mechanical engineering, said he had never eaten at the Commons because he “had no reason to.” But Subway must’ve given him some good reasons, because he was enjoying a sub with a couple friends a few nights ago.

Like Halfman, Rob Shaheen, a senior in interior design, digs the new-found brightness of the room, which Shaheen thinks will draw in more students. “I like the light,” he said. “I think they did that for a reason, so that there’d be more activity in here.”

But Shaheen does think that as far as design goes, there have been some changes that should not have been made — if only for the sake of posterity. “I think they ruined [the Pine Room],” he said. “I think they should’ve left that room because it had history to it. I mean, they should leave some things, or at least integrate them a little bit better. [The eating area] has more of a function, whereas that was more of a little piece of history.”

The Union has preserved a morsel of the Commons’ past in the Trophy Tavern. The old table tops with the gouges and marks of pocket knives and table blades now hang on the walls.

Shaheen also thinks the food court area may not be as popular a place to study and hold club meetings as the Commons used to be. The new format makes the area a little louder and some said the chairs are somewhat uncomfortable.

Shaheen said the union at the University of lowa “is more comfortable than the one here. We have the rooms upstairs, like the Sun Room, but there’s nothing like a nice, bigger area where you can just congregate or study or whatever. I mean, these seats are all right, but I don’t think you’re gonna wanna sit in these for seven or eight hours.”

Brian Resac, a senior in mechanical engineering, said he used to study in the Commons before it was renovated. He hunkered down with books and paper in the Oak Room or Pine Room because there was “not a lot of traffic.” He said that he’ll continue to study in the new eating area, though he hasn’t tried it yet.

But Shaheen can’t help wondering why, if the Food Court is still supposed to be an area for studying, chatting and general hangin’ out, there are fewer places to sit down.

“l think the Food Court looks good. That part looks real nice, and it’s set up pretty well,” he said, “but out here, I don’t know. It’s okay. I just think they lost a lot of seating, which seems to me would be important. A lot of times, when it’s very busy, it’s hard to find a seat.”

Beside the physical comfort of the old padded chairs, Halfman said he also misses the relaxed atmosphere that the Commons used to have. “It was a lot homier, I guess,” he said. “More personal.”

Despite the criticism, some still feel the Food Court is a convenient place to snag good, cheap food and maybe read a few chapters for an upcoming class. And the Union’s convenient location itself will likely keep the eating area packed with students, no matter how they feel about the renovations.

“lt’s kind of a halfway point for a lot of your classes,” Stegeman said, “where you can come and sit down and eat or whatever.”