INTRODUCTION
I’ve lived at Penn State for about 2 months now and have tried every dining hall at least once, though I have eaten the most at Pollock and South. I will rate both Pollock and South based on a few factors to give you guys an idea of what they are like. This is all subjective, of course, but here’s just my two cents on the dining halls.
SOUTH: South Food District
Atmosphere: (2/5) If you don’t get a takeout box, you have to stay in a roped off area in the buffet. The tables and chairs remind me a bit of a high school cafeteria, which just isn’t my personal taste. There are both dark and bright sections, but no decor or anything that really gives the dining hall any personality.
Layout: (4/5) The layout at South is pretty intuitive. When you first walk in, there are the entrees, then you walk past cereals and desserts to reach the beverages and salad bar. It’s hard to miss any of the food and drinks available to you. Also, it’s easy to get food without having to maneuver around tables, chairs, and people.
Seating: (3.5/5) Most of the seating is the same besides some against the wall booth seating. Plastic chairs and cafeteria style tables. There are different size tables to accommodate various group sizes, but there are a lot of long tables that separate parties just share. I feel like the seating could be more comfortable or interesting, but it’s not bad.
Food quality: (3/5) I feel like South Dining is a bit hit or miss. Sometimes they have foods that are warm, flavorful, fresh, and delicious, but other times, dishes are lukewarm, have odd textures, are visually unappealing, or just have no flavor.
Food options: (4/5) The menu changes every day but there are always staples such as the cereal bar, salad bar, drink station, ice cream bar, etc. The salad and fruit bar doesn’t always have a lot of variety, but it’s not bad. I think one thing that could really elevate this dining hall is to create more entree choices. If I’m remembering correctly, there are about 6-8 trays of hot food, so there aren’t too many options, but South is a smaller dining hall–it makes sense. One thing I love about South, though, is that they tend to have more variety in terms of different ethnic foods.
POLLOCK: Pollock Dining Commons
Atmosphere: (4.5/5) Clad with pop culture references and unique artwork throughout, Pollock has a bustling yet warm and cozy feel to it. There are darker/dim sections and areas with natural lighting, so many different atmospheric tastes can be satisfied.
Layout: (2/5) The first few times I went to Pollock, I actually didn’t realize that I could use my meal plan swipe on both sides of the dining hall. Salad, pizza, pasta, and vegetarian options are on the Leaf side, while hot food, dessert, fruit, and yogurt are on the Plates side. The layout isn’t the most intuitive. The coffee and ice cream bars are also out of the way, tucked close to the bathrooms.
Seating: (5/5) There are several seating options. There is some booth style seating as well as plastic chairs and wooden benches. There are chairs that are high up off the ground and some that are “normal” heights. I never find the seating here uncomfortable and I like the variety of options. There are also different size tables to accommodate different group sizes.
Food quality: (4/5) Keep in mind, we are not rating a college dining hall like a Michelin star restaurant. Compared to other dining halls, I feel like the food here is always hot, flavorful (the vegetables tend to be bland, though), and relatively fresh. Some foods sometimes remind me of a home cooked meal.
Food options: (5/5) All dining halls are like this, but the menu presents different foods every day while maintaining some staples such as burgers, fries, soft serve ice cream, fruit, yogurt, salad bar (which has a lot of topping and dressing options), pizza, pasta, cookies, etc. There is always something appetizing at Pollock.
WRAP UP
I would love to know whether you have tried South or Pollock dining and if you feel similarly about them. I’m also curious to hear your opinions on East, West, and North dining, which I didn’t talk about due to my lack of experience there. Ultimately, though, I think Pollock is the best dining hall on campus.
I will just have to say that as a resident of Simmons hall, I am a true believer in the quality of Redifer Commons. Whether it will be the incomparable level of a la carte options, or the general vibe of the place, there is just something special about it. On the other hand, Pollock Commons leaves something to be desired. While I only ate there once and admit I had a good time, there is just something about it which I find rather unsettling — which might simply be the unjustifiable lay-out. Also, I will give a shout out to the Waring dining commons at west, which have the best cookies on campus and plenty of natural light.
I have very similar viewpoints about the dining halls on campus. I live in Atherton and most frequently eat at Redifer Commons. I may be biased, but I believe you are being too generous with Redifer’s rankings in pretty much every aspect. But, I agree with everything you say about Pollock Commons. If you want to turn these metrics into more definitive ranking systems that potentially include all 5 campus dining halls, you should get the opinions of more people because there may be some biases you don’t even realize are skewing your rankings.