Editor’s Note: As the University of Miami reopens and welcomes students, faculty, and staff back to campus for the Fall 2020 semester, our “Campus Ready” updates will help the University community navigate how to eat, shop, stay fit, and more, while putting our health and well-being first.
Both Hecht-Stanford and Mahoney-Pearson dining halls reopened to serve students, faculty, and staff on Aug. 9. With new directional signage, floor decals, and plexiglass barriers in place to encourage physical distancing, the dining halls will operate at 50 percent capacity through Nov. 23. Beginning Aug. 10, both dining halls will operate from 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, with varied weekend hours including breakfast and brunch. Campus dining hours are updated weekly.
What’s New
Dining hall patrons can expect to tap in with their ’Cane Card using contactless card readers, and they can also opt to make a dining reservation at their preferred location, either online or via the GET Food App. Reservations are available in 30-minute increments. Expanded take-out options are available at both dining hall locations, and a new meal-swipe to-go option, Grab Goodness, is now open in the former Jamba Juice location at the Donna E. Shalala Student Center. Other resident dining changes include the following.
- Disposables will be used in place of china and silverware.
- There won’t be any self-service stations or salad buffet.
- There will be a reduction of indoor seating capacity.
- Outdoor seating will be expanded, with tents available for inclement weather.
- The Symptom Checker will be launched in residential dining.
- Guests will be asked to flash their “Good to Go” QR code upon entry.
- Students with meal plans can utilize meal swipes at the following retail dining locations on campus:
- Grab Goodness
- Corner Deli
- Pura Vida
The dining services department has installed density monitors outside both dining halls, as well as at the Hurricane Food Court, which allows guests to decide when they feel comfortable entering each establishment based on its capacity. Density can also be tracked in real time via the “Location Density” tab in the UMiami App. Additional outdoor seating has also been installed at the Lakeside Patio and University Center Rock Plaza.
Retail dining locations including Lime Fresh Mexican Grill, Starbucks, and Einstein’s have also reopened, although current Miami-Dade County guidelines do not allow for dine-in seating. Mobile ordering via Grubhub for both pickup and delivery has been expanded to cover all retail dining locations. Three food trucks will be available on rotation at the University Center Rock Plaza, McLamore Plaza, and at the corner of Lakeside Village and Eaton Residential College.
A new coffee concept on campus, the Archivist Café, will open on Aug. 17. The locally rooted coffee house is in the Otto G. Richter Library retail space previously occupied by Starbucks and will feature a menu influenced by local favorites Per’La Specialty Roasters, Earth South Miami, and Tartastic, an artisan bakery based out of Boca Raton, Florida.
“Our staff has been working diligently to put the appropriate measures in place to keep our campus community healthy. We look forward to serving our ’Canes as they return to campus.”
—Ana M. Alvarez, executive director of auxiliary services
For up-to-date dining information, use the UMiami App or visit https://dineoncampus.com/miami.
