Commons Options at Alma College

A $4.5 million new campus dining experience with more food options, updated equipment and multiple seating environments awaits Alma College students this fall.

Hamilton Commons, Alma’s primary dining facility since 1968, will receive major renovations and a 6,000-square-foot addition that will reflect modern trends in college food service. It will increase seating capacity by nearly 25 percent to 450 seats.

 “We are building an addition that will not only address food service at Alma College, but also provide enhanced social space beyond traditional dining, with Wi-Fi, a fireplace and multimedia capabilities, says Dave Buhl, vice president for business affairs.

The facility also will feature a permanent vegetarian station with a vegan overlay, a traditional grill for burgers and fries, a comfort-food station, improved salad and dessert bars, more access to beverages and an improved recycling area.

The Collaborative Inc. (Toledo, Ohio) is architect for the project. The project is supported by Sodexo, Alma College’s food-service partner, which is paying half of the construction costs. The remainder of the project will be funded through the sale of bonds.