Photo cutline (from left): Andrew Barnhardt (Project Manager – Borton Construction), Dr. Kevin Brown (President – AU), Jen Cichowicz (Director of Dining Services – Fresh Ideas Food Service), Chase Jackson (Executive Chef – Fresh Ideas Food Service/AU), Brian Dittmer (President – Fresh Ideas Food Service), Santiago Burgos Villeda ’28 (Student Body President – AU), and Mark Whitworth (Senior VP – AU).
Asbury University celebrated the completion of extensive renovations to The Eatery with a Grand Opening Reception and ribbon cutting on Aug. 19.
Asbury University officially celebrated a transformed campus dining experience Aug. 19 with a Grand Opening Reception at The Eatery, bringing members of the campus community and project partners together to mark the completion of extensive summer renovations.
The celebration included a short ceremony and ribbon cutting,recognizing the work and collaboration that brought the project to completion just before students returned for the Fall 2026 semester.
The Eatery is a newly imagined and renovated space that is central to the Asbury University DNA."
“On any given day throughout the academic year, The Eatery is a place where our students, campus community, alumni, and guests will gather for a meal and so much more. We pray this will continue to be a place of rich fellowship, discipleship and spiritual formation. We are deeply grateful for our partnership with Fresh Ideas Food Service and their willingness to make this vision a reality. We are also thankful for our friends at Borton Construction and the many sub-contractors whose craftsmanship is evident throughout the space.”
Jesus embodied a kind of ministry that is compassionate, meeting people and giving them a seat at the table.”
“I am certain that, through the thousands of people who will sit in these new seats, the voice of Christ will be amplified: through tough conversations, through heated debates, through the warm company of friends, and through the rest that comes from a good meal.”
Asbury began the renovation in May as part of continued investments in spaces where students live, learn and build community. The completed project updated dining-room flooring and ceilings, furniture, bathrooms, service lines, windows and kitchen infrastructure. The University also relocated the dish return and reconfigured areas of the dining hall to better accommodate both everyday student life and campus events.
Students can now enjoy a variety of new seating options, modernized dining stations, two beverage bars and a new dessert station. The east side of the dining room also offers flexible space that can serve as student seating or accommodate meetings and gatherings.
The grand opening celebrated more than a renovated dining hall; it marked Asbury’s investment in a central gathering place where students share meals, develop friendships and experience community every day.
The renovation builds on Asbury’s partnership with Fresh Ideas Food Service, which began in 2024 with a shared focus on fresh food, innovation and an engaging campus dining experience.
With the celebration complete, students now get to experience the renovated space throughout Asbury’s 137th academic year. The Eatery will continue serving as more than a place for meals, providing a welcoming setting for conversations, friendships and the everyday moments that help make Asbury home.
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