The newly renovated Courtyard Cafe is set to reopen on Oct. 17, with a return to face-to-face ordering alongside additional seating.
The College stirred controversy last spring when a renovation added ordering kiosks and cut off students from the people preparing food.
According to Dartmouth Dining director Jon Plodzik, it was “the right moment to invest in a refreshed space” since the Hopkins Center for the Arts — where the Courtyard Cafe is located — was already being revitalized.
“The Courtyard Cafe is one of our most popular dining spaces, and after years of heavy use, it was ready for an update,” Plodzik wrote in an email statement to The Dartmouth.
Dartmouth Dining considered student feedback on the spring renovation when designing the Courtyard Cafe’s new look, according to Plodzik.
“We heard clearly that students value their connection with staff, full integration with their meal plans and an efficient ordering process,” Plodzik wrote. “This remodel builds on that feedback by creating a more open design, adding visibility into the kitchen and implementing new ordering software.”
Some students expressed frustrations with the Courtyard Cafe’s temporary closure for the remodel.
“I live in New Hampshire [Hall] and it’s very inconvenient that there are no dining options open near my dorm,” Ciara McCrory ’28 said.
Mischa Telesford ’27 shared similar frustrations, calling the temporary closure “really tragic,” adding that she prefers not to eat all of her meals at Collis Cafe or ’53 Commons.
Yasmine Kanaan ’26, a Novack Cafe worker, said she “didn’t want to eat on campus” after the Courtyard Cafe’s previous renovation.
Kanaan added that her experience with Dartmouth Dining “hasn’t been the greatest.”
“It used to be a place that everyone loved to go to, but now it’s just become very automated and not good,” she said.
Dartmouth Dining will “continue to collect student input after reopening, including through comment boards and digital feedback tools,” Plodzik wrote.
Dartmouth Student Body president Sabik Jawad ’26 said that members of the Dartmouth Student Government, including his predecessor, Chukwuka Odigbo ’25, “were consulted” on the remodel to gauge student opinion and needs.
“I believe that the focus is to bring back the old Hop as it was — a community space,” Jawad said.
According to Plodzik, the new Cafe comes with a new ordering software that will help students customize meals and “reduce confusion during busy times.” Students expressed excitement about the new ordering system.
“I didn’t mind the kiosks, but I didn’t like that I could only get combos with my swipes,” Lena Sealy-Nicotra ’28 said.
Ayden Cardoso ’28 agreed that the kiosks limited customizability.
“When they did the kiosks, I wanted lettuce on my burgers, and I had to ask the person for lettuce because that wasn’t a customizable option,” he said.
Plodzik said that the renovation will also create new student employment opportunities.
Jawad, who was previously involved in the Student Workers Collective at Dartmouth, said he believes the overall employee experience will be better.
Working at the Courtyard Cafe “was a dehumanizing experience because you are behind walls,” Jawad said. “Making it interactive will go a long way.”
