After three months with limited on-campus dining options, Howard University students got a first look at the newly renovated PunchOut in the basement of the Armour J. Blackburn University Center.
On Wednesday, Oct. 15, the grand opening took place in the basement of Blackburn, where students entered the space with expanded dining options. The new-look PunchOut features Halal Shack, The Drop — which serves burgers, chicken wings and fries — and Panera Bread.
According to Associate Vice President for Enterprise Services LaNiece Tyree, this renovation was completely funded by Aramark, the university’s dining partner. The expense of the space did not come from the university or students, she said.
“This is part of our partnership with them, that large deal that we did with them at the beginning of the fiscal year,” Tyree said in an interview.
Tyree said the renovation took 95 days to complete and that she is excited for students to experience the upgraded seating, upgraded lighting and new flooring. The redesigned dining space features blue chairs, cushioned seating, Howard-themed decor, a self-serve drinking station and three new kiosks for students to place orders themselves.
“Enjoy the newness, the freshness, the lighting,” she said. “It’s no longer a dungeon.”
Megan Medhinel, a first-year biology major from Metro-Philadelphia, said she did not know much about PunchOut before attending the opening.
“I just knew it was a place to get food,” she said.
As her first time in the space, Medhinel said “it was worth it because this place is kind of lit.”
While freshman students get to experience the newly improved dining option for the first time, upperclassmen reflect on what the space looked like before.
Mia White, a junior accounting major from New York City, said she didn’t eat at the dining space often.
She said it is now bright and lively compared to being previously dark and believes that students are going to want to eat at PunchOut more often, especially with the addition of the Panera Bread.
White said she is most excited about the new seating and having another place to sit while on campus.
“That’s something we lack at Howard University, just space where we can just sit and relax when we have no classes,” she said.
She said while PunchOut was closed due to the renovations the only food options she had was Chick-fil-A and the dining halls, and with this new renovation, she has more food options on campus.
Although there are seniors who have limited time to make memories in this new space, some are excited for future classes to be able to enjoy the space.
Similar to White, Gabriella Reggio, a senior marketing major from Prince George County, Maryland, said during her freshman year she remembers the space as “dark, dim and not lively.”
“[PunchOut] barely had enough seating for like a bunch of people to really be in here for real,” she said. “I wish it was here when I was a freshman.”
Reggio won’t miss the way that PunchOut looked before and said she is excited for the classes making their way into Howard to enjoy this new space as they get to experience it for a full four years.
When she first heard that PunchOut was being renovated, Reggio wasn’t sure if Howard was going to try to make a completely new space for students, but was surprised by the results.
“I just want to say thank you, Howard, for actually making strides, [and] listening to students’ opinions,” Reggio said.
The 88th Miss Howard University, Ssanyu Lukoma, a honors broadcast journalism major from Matawan, New Jersey, also attended the grand opening.
“When I went in there today, I was floored. I was truly taken aback. It is so stunning,” she said.
Lukoma said the space is brighter than what it was during her freshman year. She also said what she is most excited for is the open space that came with the renovation because “it forces you to interact with new people.”
“Before it was booths and it was closed off, so you could just have conversation with the people that you came with,” she said.
Lukoma said the freshmen that get to experience the renovation are lucky because she believes the experience that students have with Howard is very impacted by their dorm and dining experiences. She believes the grand opening shows the intentionality Howard put into the renovation of the space.
“[It] is a statement to students that Howard really does care about the way [students] view this campus as a home and they’re willing to invest in that,” Lukoma said.
Copy edited by Daryl R. Thomas Jr.
