Taking a field trip
While planning the revamped space, Associate Director of Dining Services Brian Grove and his team traveled to Washington, D.C., for two and a half days to get inspiration from the city’s restaurants. The team made an effort to visit spots offering global cuisine because they wanted Owens to have a variety of ethnic options.
“We knew we had an influx of international students coming in, and we also knew that we were kind of underserving that population,” Grove says.
The team targeted globally inspired fast casuals popular with Virginia Tech students, such as Cava, and paid attention to each concept’s menu and atmosphere.