When it comes to being responsible for feeding over 40,000 students, Lakeside Dining Hall’s responsibility is daunting. It does its job well, but for the amount of positives that Lakeside has, it also has some negatives.
Lakeside’s menu is about as diverse as it gets on campus. When students are moving from all across the country, the dining hall has to cover a lot of bases with what it serves, and Lakeside does so strongly. Featuring stations dedicated to pizza, burgers, salads and even specific spots dedicated to gluten-free and vegan diets, Lakeside truly has something for everybody.
Another positive is the overall atmosphere of the building. Not only is Lakeside built directly overlooking a lake — hence the name — but it also features the most seating of any dining hall as well. This results in a mostly stress-free and relaxed environment compared to the likes of a place like Fresh Food Company, where the lunch rush creates limited seating and lines that stretch out of the door. Lakeside is also the only dining hall to feature a second floor, which goes a long way in bolstering its capacity.
The third positive is Lakeside’s unique Asian station called Yoshoku Teppanyaki Stir Fry. It’s one of the only spots for Chinese food on campus, and the experience of having your desired ingredients cooked in real time is unique to Lakeside.
“My favorite food at Lakeside is the stir fry,” said Colton Abston, a freshman majoring in electrical engineering. “Being able to select what ingredients I want and have it cooked in front of me is a great experience and is always delicious.”
Jax Strickland, a freshman majoring in biology, echoed that sentiment.
“My favorite is definitely the stir fry,” Strickland said. “I love noodles, and being able to customize it with different toppings and sauces keeps it unique.”
Despite the positives that Lakeside boasts, there are a handful of problems that Lakeside holds.
First is the building’s actual location on campus. Even though it is placed in close proximity to certain residence halls such as Riverside and Blount, Lakeside is still situated relatively close to the edge of campus. This makes it difficult for students coming from classes in buildings like Reese Phifer or Russell Hall, as well as residents of halls such as Mary Burke and Tutwiler.
Another con to Lakeside is its portions. Most of the stations in the building either pre-portion their food or have the servers plate it themselves. This can make it difficult to achieve a desired amount of food, making for either a dissatisfied stomach or the awkward situation of having to ask for seconds.
The final downside to Lakeside is the inconsistency of their stations throughout the day. Only a handful of stations are open for breakfast, creating long lines for food that runs out fairly quickly. On top of this, the burger bar is only open for lunch for some reason, needlessly stripping the dinner time slot of a reliable American dish.
Despite these few issues, Lakeside is still a very quality place to stop by for a meal. With a clean, beautiful facility and a broad selection of foods on the menu, Lakeside makes up for any inadequacies and makes for a great dining experience as a whole.
