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Specialty stations add variety, flair to new dining program

Each dining hall offers unique options in House Dining system.
Renovations to the dining halls, such as this facility in Simmons, were made over the summer to support all-you-care-to-eat dining and new specialty stations for each house.
Caption:
Renovations to the dining halls, such as this facility in Simmons, were made over the summer to support all-you-care-to-eat dining and new specialty stations for each house.
Credits:
Photo: Bruce Myren

The five dining halls in the new House Dining program — located in Baker, McCormick, Next, Simmons and The Howard Dining Hall in Maseeh — offer an identical set of core stations. Visitors to any dining hall will find a salad bar, comfort foods and mains, and other familiar sights.

To give each residence a distinct identity and to promote variety and choice within the system, however, each dining hall also has at least one unique station, ranging from sushi to Indian to specialty grills.

“We want balance in the dining halls, so each venue offers a foundation of favorites and standards. Whether it’s a salad or a main course, diners should be able to find the foods they like with every visit,” said Mike Myers, assistant director of Campus Dining for MIT. “But the specialty stations also allow us to offer interesting variety within each house and across the system as a whole.”

The House Dining program is one system: anyone on a meal plan can eat in any of the five dining halls. With the nine specialty stations and different menus in each house every day, students have dozens of options every night for dinner.

Most of the specialty stations are up and serving their particular fare. Technical issues, however, have causes slight delays for two stations, according to Myers. “We’re working to bring these stations online as soon as possible,” Myers said.

The list below summarizes all the new stations for each house. A station is in operation unless otherwise noted.

Baker House
  • Pi: made-from-scratch pizza, calzones, pasta bakes and Panini sandwiches.
  • Sushi: a variety of hand-rolled sushi, including vegetarian options.
Masseh Hall
  • Simple 600: healthy offerings, all with under 600 calories and fewer than 600 milligrams of sodium.
  • Taj: traditional and non-traditional tastes of India.
McCormick House
  • Crêperia: delicious crêpes for breakfast or dinner. This station is not yet open.
  • Global: a rotating selection of stir-fry entrées with flavors and styles from around the world.
Next House
  • Smokehouse Grill: hot breakfast classics in the morning and regional specialties with a smokehouse flair for dinner.
  • Roma: house-made pastas and sauces.
  • Bits & Bytes: showcases an eclectic mix of self-serve stations.
Simmons Hall
  • Rotisserie: piping-hot rotisserie and smoked favorites. This station open, but will be able to offer more options in the near future after additional equipment is installed.
  • Grill 229: egg scrambles and crispy bacon for breakfast and traditional grilled fare for dinner.

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