Serving up something new: Dining hall renovations mean more options at Shirreff

Debbie Kline, the Shirreff Dining Hall manager, heard students shriek with excitement as they saw the recently renovated servery for the first time over the weekend.

Shirreff Hall’s servery is the area outside the kitchen, where staff and students dining in the hall choose and are served their meals. Over the summer it was completely remodelled, allowing for both aesthetic updates and necessary improvements to its infrastructure. In addition, it was made 50 per cent larger and provides a greater number of access points to food, increasing overall efficiency and flow in the dining hall.

“The returning students are walking in and seeing the difference,” says Kline.

“It seems a lot more organized and it seems like there are more options,” said second-year Shirreff Hall resident Rachel Huntington while she enjoyed her first lunch in the renovated space. “It looks really good.”

More flexibility, choice

Beyond improvements to its appearance and functionality, changes to the servery have given students more mealtime choices.

“The new equipment allows us to employ different cooking methods,” says Michael Silvester, executive chef for Dalhousie’s Halifax Campus Food Services. “The guests can have more control and interaction with the chef who’s making [their food].”  

This means more flexibility in terms of adapting recipes, and more ability for staff to cater dishes toward students’ specific dietary needs. “The staff are really excited about it,” adds Silvester.

The new servery includes stir fry, pasta, grill, pizza and sauté stations, as well as revamped deli and sandwich bars. Dining hall staff can now prepare a greater variety of dishes, adding more possibilities, like smoothies and made-to-order desserts, to the menu.   

A warm, welcoming space

One key feature in the new space is a moveable island, which can be broken into three pieces and stored in the kitchen to make space for events in the dining hall.

Natalie Gibbs, conference sales manager for Conference Services at Dalhousie, says this is great for conferences, banquets and weddings held on campus over the summer months.“The moveable island and moveable furniture make the space really flexible,” she says.

Despite the modern conveniences the new servery provides, Facilities Manager Mateo Yorke said residence staff made great efforts to make sure it fit with Shirreff’s historic look and feel.

“It all flows together and feels so warm,” confirms Kline.

But rest assured, many of Shirreff’s time-tested and well-loved food stations have found new homes in the upgraded space.

“For anyone who’s worried,” Yorke says, “Janet’s sandwich station is still there.” (He refers, of course, to the dining hall's staff member whose sandwiches and wraps are beloved on campus.)

While Shirreff’s servery was updated this summer, last summer saw improvements to the dining hall’s kitchen. The summer before that, the kitchen, servery and seating area in Howe Hall were entirely re-done.

For more information about dining in Shirreff, or any of Dalhousie’s other dining halls, visit dal.ca/food