March 16—The wait for the new dining hall—which will be located on the academic side of Virginia Tech's Blacksburg campus—is expected to end next semester.
Turner Place, the newest 35,000-square-foot dining area, is slated to open this fall, with multiple restaurants and services.
In 2005, Dining Services collaborated with Virginia Tech officials to determine a location for Turner Place. Initially, Johnston Student Center was considered. “The infrastructure just wasn’t large enough for the scope of the student population and the availability of the use of meal plans,” said Ted Faulkner, director of Dining Services.
Porter Khouw Consulting, Inc.—a national foodservice management consulting and design firm — was hired in 2007 to interview students and solicit information from them so Dining Services could gather ideas regarding the building for Turner Place. “Out of that survey, students said they would love something on the academic side, which confirmed our thoughts,” Faulkner said.