Hinman Dining Hall to get a new look

Exciting changes are coming to campus dining services this fall, beginning with the addition of a Starbucks truck to campus as Hinman Dining Hall undergoes a major renovation.

The new, all-inclusive Hinman Dining Hall Collegiate Center will be home to a brand-new servery and dining facility with nine service options and expanded seating, a Starbucks franchise, programming and study spaces, a garden terrace/patio, a convenience store and a student culinary makerspace — a commercial-sized kitchen for student use.

“Hinman students take pride in the friendliness of their community and in their high level of participation in Hinman events,” said Hinman Collegiate Professor Alvin Vos. “Our new dining hall will provide added opportunities for the Hinman community to come together and to strengthen the spirit of Hinman.”

“The new building will be spectacular and will be a great addition to Hinman College and to this campus,” said Dining Services District Manager Jim Ruoff.

Binghamton University Dining Service (BUDS) and the University decided to renovate the 55-year-old Hinman Dining Hall to bring a multifunctional space to Hinman while making necessary improvements. “We’re also looking to add another retail concept to Hinman and are in discussions with multiple retailers,” Ruoff said.

Hinman Dining Hall will be offline throughout the renovation and is expected to re-open in spring 2021. With sustainability in mind, furniture and kitchen equipment from Hinman has been repurposed throughout campus, including at other dining centers and the Food Co-Op in the University Union.

Both of Hinman’s retail options, Starbucks and Subway, are being relocated. “Starbucks and Subway have both done really well on campus and we wanted to find a way to keep these popular retailers operational,” Ruoff said.

The new Starbucks truck, offering a full food and drink menu, will replace the Hinman Starbucks during the renovation. “This is our first experience with a food truck and it’s a pretty exciting option,” Ruoff said. BUDS and the University purchased the truck so a temporary space would not need to be created. “We are buying something that the University can utilize for the next 15 years,” Ruoff said.

The Starbucks truck will spend a majority of its time parked at the loading dock by the Nelson A. Rockefeller Collegiate Center in Hinman College. Once the semester begins, its location will be evaluated to best take care of the campus community. “We have identified a few alternate locations on campus that the truck may move to during off-peak hours in Hinman,” said General Manager of Resident Dining John Enright. The truck will also be on site on campus for special events.

As the fall semester begins, the truck will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, subject to change.

The Subway has been relocated to the MarketPlace in the University Union, where it will continue to offer custom-made subs to order, where it will remain even after the Hinman renovation is complete.

In the meantime, the campus community can enjoy 26 on-campus dining locations, three of which are dining halls. “All of our dining operations accept meal plans, making it easy to navigate Hinman being offline,” Ruoff said. Appalachian Collegiate Center and College-in-the-Woods Dining Hall are both close in proximity to the Hinman community, and Chenango Champlain Collegiate Center (C-4) is a short walk away. “This is a great opportunity to explore all of our dining options and find what works best for you,” Enright said.

Each residential dining hall offers specialty options including La Montana, a student-inspired Southwest cuisine station at Appalachian, Gifts from the Garden vegan station at College-in-the-Woods, and Expeditions, which offers specials like chicken wings, stir fry and a mac and cheese bar at C-4.

BUDS is prepared for the expected increased traffic at the three dining halls during the Hinman renovation. “We have adjusted staffing, service options and hours of operation to support anticipated new volumes,” Enright said. Members of the Hinman Dining team have all been reassigned and are working in other locations on campus to accommodate the influx.

To assist students as they navigate changes, Dining Services has developed new and tech-savvy ways to provide up-to-the moment information including a heat map graph on the BUDS website to tell diners how busy each dining hall is at any given time. “This will allow students to plan ahead and avoid peak times if they have limited time for a meal,” Ruoff said.

Not sure where to start your dining journey? Check out BinghamtonUdining.com. There are dining options for everyone at Binghamton University. For updates on the Hinman Dining Hall renovation, visit the web.