The Bloomberg Student Center opened its dining options on Monday, Oct. 6. Announced via social media posts on Sunday, Oct. 5, the food vendors are now available to all Hopkins affiliates. These restaurants at Ralph’s Marketplace consist of local Baltimore restaurants that include Koshary Corner, Connie’s Chicken and Waffles, Tim Ma Hospitality and the Urban Kitchen (created by the Urban Oyster). Additionally, Lucky Danger and Bento Sushi are also food options that students can indulge in.
In an email to The News-Letter the night before the grand opening, sophomore Lia Carroll expressed her enthusiasm for the new dining options.
“I am very excited at the idea of having more dining options at the Student Center,” she wrote. “I hope that in the future it can expand to include meal swipe options.”
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The specific restaurants were announced to the public through an article written by the Hub on July 14. In a statement to the Hub, Assistant Vice Provost for Hopkins Dining and Auxiliary Services Matt Moss explained the University’s decision in selecting food vendors.
“We were very intentional about going local and really being able to celebrate the restaurant scene here in Baltimore,” he said. “Food is such an emotional tie to your community. We hope these partners bring that taste of home.”
The focus on local partnerships also resonated with the vendors themselves, with many expressing excitement about engaging directly with the Hopkins community. From Connie’s Chicken and Waffles, staff member John Davis shared his enthusiasm for the opening.
“I think [the grand opening] is pretty cool. The students are nice, they are not grumpy. It’s awesome that they’re choosing Connie’s, and I love the view,” he said. “As far as the front end, being a cashier, I like the designs that are hanging from the ceiling and everything – it’s amazing!”
Following the grand opening, Ralph’s Marketplace was flooded with students eager to try the available food and explore the new dining area. Lines formed at each vendor, with students sampling everything from Bento Sushi poke bowls to the Koshary smoothies.
Senior Applied Mathematics & Statistics and Economics major Brock Manz took his first bite from Bento Sushi excitedly. In an interview with The News-Letter, Manz outlined both his excitement and his concerns for the opening of the dining options.
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“I’ve loved the Student Center so far. It’s great to have a place to actually be on campus with a lot of natural light, especially considering we don’t have the full library back yet,” he explained. “I’m slightly concerned about [how], now that there’s lot of food here, a lot of the furniture is going to get sticky if it’s not consistently cleaned. Hopefully that can be mitigated.”
Other students also shared similar sentiments, praising the new spaces for their atmosphere while also acknowledging the opportunities for engagement that the food vendors provide. In an interview with The News-Letter, sophomore George Kuo reflected on how these new facilities may reshape student life.
“I think it’s a great environment overall. I think it’s a great new place for students to just be involved in everything. It really opened up new opportunities and new studying spaces [and] new places to do everything, like [being] social,” he said. “I think that, especially with the food [options] opening now, I think it’s a great opportunity for all students to just [come] and go.”
As students continued to explore new dining options, the atmosphere shifted. Many students described the space as feeling more energetic, and spaces that were previously used for studying were then filled with groups that gathered to eat, socialize and spend time in between classes.
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In an interview with The News-Letter, Lee Hawthrone, the Associate Vice Provost for Strategic Student Initiatives, explained her observations on student life with the Student Center after the opening of the dining options. She discussed the increased engagement that she has noticed and praised the positive changes in the environment.
“The building [...] has created an incredible opportunity for students to just have a space to connect and gather and create fun! It’s been a little quiet, as people have noticed, but with the food venues, I think it’s going to bring a whole other level of excitement and interaction to the building,” she explained. “When I’m telling people [who] come in the door that food has started to open, everybody lights up. They’re like ‘Oh my gosh!’ or ‘I’ve already ordered, and it’s great!’”
For many students, the new options also offered a great improvement to the overall quality of campus dining. In an interview with The News-Letter, sophomore Stella Wettan expressed her satisfaction with the recent additions.
“It’s nice having more food options that actually taste good, unlike the other dining halls,” she said.
