So it’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for … the Great Dining Hall Debate! We all have our own opinions, and technically our own taste buds, when it comes to choosing what dining hall is our favorite. But here at Ohio University, choosing a favorite dining hall is actually a lot harder than it sounds. With three dining halls that each have their own “special trademark,” it’s nearly impossible to pick a favorite. With all-day breakfast at Nelson, to the Grab ‘n’ Go station at Shively, to all of the healthy options at Boyd … how could you ever decide? Well, I decided to ask a few people and find out their opinions on what food here is the best.
Now we all love Shively for its nuggets (literally taste just like McDonald’s nuggets) on Mondays, the homestyle mac ‘n’ cheese that is served all day every day and the phenomenal sandwich station, so what is there really to dislike about the Shive that we all know and love? When asking around, some of the responses I got went a little like this:
“Shively is too loud; it stresses me out! It’s super little and there’s never any room to get in between tables. The sandwich station is super nice, but overall, I’d have to say Nelson over Shively.” – KC (Freshman)
“Everything’s good at Shively because it’s all fried … chicken fingers are served literally every day. But when looking for healthy food, Boyd is definitely the way to go.” – Taylor (Junior)
“Shively is my favorite because the ice cream options are better, the mac ‘n’ cheese is to die for and the touch of home really gets me.” –Mariah (Freshman)
Shively really does have a little touch of almost everything. With an Italian section that serves different types of pizza and pasta every day, to the amazing sandwich station that also is known for “Grab ‘n’ Go” (which is always nice when in a rush) … to the touch of home (which always reminds us of our mother’s cooking that we miss so much), to the endless amounts of chicken fingers and fries, to the Mexican station that serves the biggest and best quesadillas in the game, to the large salad station and last but not least, the awesome dessert section. Shively really does have it all!
GIF from Celeb Buzz
Nelson is that dining hall we basically consider home. With a cute little café and lounging area right next door, to the convenient market where you can buy almost anything, Nelson is a place we just truly wouldn’t be able to live without here at OU. Now if you’re anything like me, you absolutely love their all day breakfast buffet. Nelson is the only dining hall that provides hot breakfast all day long and let me tell you, it never disappoints. From the cheesy potatoes, to the crispy bacon, to the lovely donuts … Nelson rocks. Nelson seems to be the type of place that you can’t exactly love, but you definitely can’t hate. I think we can all agree that sometimes Nelson foods get a little old and other dining halls have so many more options, but there’s something about Nelson that just makes you feel at home. Also, the sundae bar never fails when you’ve had a bad day and just want some chocolate! When asking around, here are a few responses I got back:
“I like the choices at Shively and the atmosphere at Nelson. It just depends what I’m in the mood for!” –Mia (Freshman)
“Nelson has too much healthy food, and it definitely gets old after a while.” –TK (Junior)
“I love going to Nelson because its salad and soup stations always get me! It’s also nice to get Chinese food every once in awhile!” –Emily (Freshman)
GIF from Giphy
And last but not least, Boyd. Being a freshman and living all the way on South Green, I’ve honestly only made it here once, but what I can tell you is that the food here is pretty dang good. It’s almost like I felt like I wasn’t at OU though, I felt almost “out of place.” Don’t get me wrong, the food here was great; the atmosphere was just something I wasn’t used to. Boyd truly makes you feel like you’re in a restaurant. Also, making a trip to the market next door is always worth it. So many healthy, nice options! I decided to ask around and went to a few of my friends who I know eat at Boyd regularly and this is what I got back:
“Boyd seems to be the healthiest dining hall here. It has so many more options than Nelson and Shively. They actually prepare the food in front of you and they make exactly what you want, almost like a restaurant!” –Payton (Freshman)
“I think Boyd is a great addition to OU and a complete 180 from the dining hall it used to be. It is now worth the walk from South to West Green because there’s plenty of different options and a lot of ways that you can take the dishes and change them around to make them to your liking. I think it’s great!” –Taylor (Junior)
GIF from Hilarious GIFs
So I guess this concludes The Great Dining Hall Debate! The bottom line is that we all have different opinions, different taste buds and want different types of foods based on different types of days. There really is no favorite and no right or wrong when it goes from choosing between Shively, Nelson and Boyd. The dining halls here at Ohio University are better than any other university’s dining halls any day of the week!
GIF from Giphy
Do you have a favorite dining hall? Let us know at @hercampusohiou!