The Edge is Auburn University's new dining facility

Auburn University has built a $26 million dining facility on campus that will open later this year.

The Edge at Central Dining is a 48,000-square-foot, 800-seat dining hall at the heart of the Auburn, Ala., campus that will offer students a variety of all-you-care-to-eat meal options.

The hall will have nine individual food stations, including an allergen station, deli and fresh produce market, two different grill stations, pasta made in house, bread and pizza baked daily, fresh tortillas pressed all day and a salad bar that features produce grown on campus.

“During my tenure here at Auburn, two of the questions I receive most often are ‘Where are the healthy options?’ and ‘Is there a convenient place my child can sit down and eat a meal with a knife and fork?’” says Glenn Loughridge, Auburn’s director of campus dining. “The Edge at Central Dining is the answer I have been waiting to give.”

The space features a variety of seating options, including four spaces that can be reserved by faculty, staff, or students and are intended to facilitate and continue conversations outside the classroom setting.

Coinciding with the dining hall opening, Auburn will introduce new meal plans for the fall semester to give students more options.

“These meal plans will give students more access to healthy options, the ability to dine in an area that promotes community and are a better value overall,” says Loughridge.

The architect is Perkins + Will, and the contractor is Rabren General Contractors.