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Lindsay Anderson

After several months of planning and delays, stations such as this Italian food area, have been added to O'Donovan Hall over the summer.

Over six months after the university’s initially announced start date to renovate O’Donovan Hall, work on the student dining hall began and was completed this summer, though three of the originally announced stations were left out of the process.

The lower level of O’Donovan Hall, now named “Leo’s Downunder,” will consist of three mini restaurants. Kendra Boyer, marketing coordinator for ARAMARK Higher Education, which provides food for on-campus dining halls, said she believes these mini restaurants will offer a sense of a more intimate dining experience.

Leo’s Diner is modeled after a ’50s-style diner, complete with counter seating and tiled walls, and will provide traditional diner foods and all-day breakfast. The newly created Bistro has booth, counter and table seating and will offer Italian specialty dishes and brick-oven pizza. The Market, a circular station located in the center of the floor, offers made-to-order wraps, tacos, fresh fruits, vegetables, soups and breads.

However, only three of the four initially proposed mini restaurants were created. In August 2007, University Spokesperson Julie Bataille announced that ARAMARK was planning to add the Rolling Pin Coffeehouse to the lower level of O’Donovan Hall in addition to the other three mini restaurants. Boyer did not comment on the missing station.

The entry level of the dining hall also received a “facelift,” Boyer said. A 2,327-square-foot Georgetown-themed mural headlines the changes to the entry level, stretching from end to end along the entry side of the hall. Boyer also said that there are a number of enhanced dining destinations on this floor, including vegan and vegetarian selections, Pasta Palate (a create-your-own-pasta station), Stir-up the World (a made-to-order stir fry spot), Flavors of Home (a carvery and family foods area), DELIfully Fresh (a sandwich and panini station) and Green Lite (a selection of healthy salads).

However, a Mediterranean kitchen and a Latin kitchen, which were promised by Bataille last August, were left out of the final renovation process.

“We are confident that our guests will enjoy the renovations, new destinations and menu enhancements completed at Leo’s,” Boyer said.

Margie Bryant, associate vice president of auxiliary services, could not be reached for comment.