In a recent United Student Government (USG) meeting, it was announced that the McShane Campus Center cafeteria, Marketplace, will be closed and under renovation during the 2023-24 school year. Beginning between Sept. 1 and Oct. 1 of 2023, the Marketplace closure will coincide with the start of “destination dining,” which will include the installation of various temporary dining options.

These new dining options will be dispersed across campus in locations such as the McGinley Ballroom, Bepler Commons, the McShane basement, expanded seating at Starbucks and Cosi and food trucks.
Construction of the “destination dining” locations will occur over the summer, with the McShane Center “Grab-N-Go” construction currently in progress. “This location will be open each and every hour of each and every day that the student center is open,” explains Demin Yaun, dining services contract liaison. “In many ways, there are going to be more options available while the caf is under construction, both in locations and variety.”

The closure of the Marketplace, however, has caused concern among current students, especially those with dietary restrictions, students who visit the Marketplace often, first-year students and those who will not get to reap the benefits of the new Marketplace.

Yaun assured that all dietary restrictions would be accommodated in the “destination dining” locations. Additionally, the new dining location in the McGinley ballroom will have the same offerings that the Marketplace currently has.

Sen. Daniel Sponseller, FCRH ’25, explained the importance of the cafeteria as a social hub for incoming first-year students. “I would go to the caf every day, look for people that I know, eat and talk with them, and that’s how I met some of my best friends,” said Sponseller.

“The caf will still be open at the very beginning of the year, which in my opinion, is the best month for it to be open, so it is going to give freshmen the ability to socialize with each other, which I think is the silver lining,” said Sponseller.

Other students are afraid of the abundance of takeout options taking away from college campus culture. Rachel O’Hara, GSB ’25, recalls her time as a commuter student during the pandemic, explaining that the Marketplace closure took away from the community of the school.

“They should prioritize seating options, especially indoors. The caf gives you somewhere to go and something to do when you have a little bit of free time,” said O’Hara.

“Seating options, communication with students and extended hours should be a priority for dining services during this time.”

“If there is an area on campus not being covered by ‘destination dining,’ we want students to let us know,” said Yaun.

Dining Services is attempting to offer as many locations as possible in order to adequately serve the student body in terms of both space and dining options.

Sponseller has been working on extending the hours of the cafeteria since he first ran for USG, stating, “this is the perfect time to keep the caf open longer because there’s so much money not being spent on the operation of the caf that could be put into extending the hours in the future.”

Despite concern from students, some are optimistic about the future of the Marketplace. “I’m definitely a little bit confused and uncertain about what on-campus dining is going to look like next year, but I’m excited to see a renovated caf, and I’m optimistic that it will be a positive thing for Fordham,” said Annabel Graham, GSB ’26.

More details will be available in the coming weeks with the launch of Dining Services’ “destination dining” marketing campaign.