While students were on summer break, the W. Frank and Evelyn J. Gordy Center received a few upgrades, and Parker Adams, director of dining services, excitedly shared the details.
“Beautiful new landscaping surrounds the building in front and on the sides of Gordy,” says Adams. “Simms Garden has a new water feature and additional seating for outside dining.” The expansion of Simms Garden is thanks to the generosity of Nancy Simms and the Gordy Foundation. Simms is the daughter of Frank and Evelyn Gordy and a trustee of the Gordy Foundation. The Foundation supports philanthropic causes, such as higher education, in Georgia.
Inside, changes are subtle. New canvases hang on the walls featuring Reinhardt students. “Just inside the entrance, a canvas of our staff recognizes our Metz team.” New paint adorns the walls in Reinhardt colors. Pristine white subway tiles line the walls behind serving stations, and new tile covers the outside of the pizza oven. Most noticeably, the Reinhardt Eagle watches over the salad bar – a favorite of Adams.
Other enhancements elevate the Reinhardt dining experience. “We’ve added new point of sale (POS) systems at all locations across campus, and the community may notice that our staff has transitioned from Metz uniforms to Reinhardt uniforms.”
Adams also noted, “More ‘user friendly’ changes were made to the Reinhardt dining website.” Students can use the website to find menus for the Gordy Center, The Nook and Starbucks. The website also provides meal plan details, hours of operation, nutritional and allergy information, and more.
Adams also shares, “We received health scores of 100 at both the Gordy Dining Hall and the new Starbucks! That’s the first time that’s ever happened at Reinhardt.” Food service facilities on campus are inspected regularly by the North Georgia Health District just like it inspects other restaurants across the county. The Gordy Dining Hall has regularly received inspection scores over 90, but this is the first time it scored a 100.
Adams teases that more changes to the Reinhardt dining experience are in the works – stay tuned!
