Starting this weekend, Top of Lenoir Dining Hall will serve brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, as well as “lite lunch” on Sundays. It will continue to be open for Sunday dinner, as it was previously.
“We believe this is what the students were asking for,” said Mike Freeman, director of Auxiliary Services for UNC.
Sophomore Sarah Brooks thought the new weekend hours would be a positive addition.
“Last year, I felt the frustration of always having to use Rams or Franklin Street. I wish these new hours affected bottom of Lenoir, too,” she said.
Freeman said every five years, the University brings in food consultants to give dining officials an unbiased examination of food services at UNC. Last year, a firm called Envision Strategies hosted focus groups with students as part of this assessment, and the lack of weekend hours came up often in these focus groups.
Freeman said another motivation for adding Lenoir brunch was the increasing popularity of brunch at Rams Head Dining Hall in recent years. Last year, an average of 1,500 to 1,800 students came to eat brunch at Rams each weekend. Comparatively, lunch — which is currently the most crowded meal at Top of Lenoir — averages 2,200 students per day.
“To get the quick service we wanted at those times, we felt that those numbers were high enough to open Lenoir Hall for breakfast and lunch,” Freeman said.
Freeman said he has a goal of 1,000 students eating brunch at each location.
