<bt>Wide-screen televisions, low lighting and barbecued ribs aren't what typically come to mind with the words "dining hall." But for students at George Mason University, this is exactly what college eating means.
Damon's, an Ohio-based restaurant chain which most closely resembles a sports bar, recently opened in the lower level of George Mason's Student Union building. Now, students can use meal points to eat at a restaurant, and possibly, buy alcoholic beverages.
"This decision is kind of evolving over time," said university spokesperson Dan Walsch. "We felt that given the kinds of students we have and their age, it was the appropriate thing to do."
Although fast food chains have become a staple of many college student centers, Damon's at GMU is the first branded sit-down restaurant at any school in the country. Sodexho, the school's food service provider, owns and operates the Damon's at GMU, said Deming Yaun, marketing manager at Sodexho.
"Damon's is a very different space than what we typically have, in terms of restaurants on college campuses," said Yaun. The television screens, trivia games and recognizable name are all new services to Sodexho, he said.
The discussion on the new restaurant began when Sodexho and the university were looking for ways to get people to use the Student Union Center, which was seeing less student activity than other places on campus such as the Johnson Center.
According to Shannon Foust, CEO of the Damon's chain, college students today are more demanding in their food choices than in his college years, when suspicious-looking meats and fluorescent gelatin ruled the menu.
"We need to do more and more for people," he said. "[Students today] say, 'I want to accomplish multiple goals as I'm making my stops today.'"
THESE DAYS, students typically enter college with a great deal of experience in different types of foods and restaurants, said Yaun. "Students haven't just eaten at home," he said. "They've established a lot of preferences, and there is recognition of national brands."
"We are hoping students take advantage of the restaurant, and the community as well," said Walsch. Foot traffic on George Mason's campus does not just come from students, but also from community members coming to take night classes at the school, or attending performances and sports games at the Patriot Center.
"We're hoping they'll swing by and get a bite to eat," he said.
For GMU students, the main perk of a restaurant on campus such as Damon's is the extra option for weekend activities.
"There's not many things to do on campus anyway, so anything to do is good," said GMU sophomore Brian Woodworth. He has not visited the campus restaurant yet, he said, but has been to other Damon's and enjoys the atmosphere, which he said has been lacking on GMU's campus.
"It would bring a lot of life here," said sophomore Justin Piteleski. Many students leave campus to go out, whether to downtown Fairfax or into Washington, D.C. for clubbing.
Another first for George Mason is that students over 21 will be able to buy alcoholic drinks on campus. It is not certain whether they will be able to use their meal cards to purchase drinks, said Yaun, but the restaurant is waiting on a liquor license.
Many students stay in college for over four years, whether continuing a bachelor's or pursuing a graduate degree, said Yaun. With an older student population, he said, there will be drinking.
Walsch said the administration has heard isolated complaints from people who disagree with the decision to make alcohol readily available on campus, but nothing that would cause the university to withdraw its liquor license application.
"We train our staff people very diligently, and we're very serious about the potential for over-serving a consumer," said Foust. "We are very diligent on making sure we check every person's ID and go through that process. [Damon's at GMU] is no different than any other place."
The university's drinking policy is fairly strict, said Piteleski and Woodworth, but that means few options for students over 21 to drink alcohol on campus.
"You wouldn't walk around outside your dorm with a beer," said Piteleski.
Other colleges have full-service bars on their campuses, said junior Shinnan Goto, who saw one in a recent visit to the University of California at Berkeley. "There's a precedent out there, but never in Northern Virginia, so I was surprised," he said.
College students, especially those over 21, are going to drink, said Woodworth. "If you are 21 here, it's better to have it on campus than out driving around," he said.