As the new school year began, the State Fountain Bakery remained closed and under renovation.
Upon walking down the cement steps toward it, students were greeted with a “pardon our progress” sign.
From the outside, the changes in paint, flooring and furniture were  visible to passers-by but the change in the building’s atmosphere was yet to be experienced until the bakery reopened its doors on Aug. 27.
Courtney Bryant, Aramark marketing manager, said the bakery was in need of an updated and different look.
“It was time for the Bakery to have a facelift,” she said. “And to give our students something new and exciting to come back to.”
The changes to State Fountain Bakery have had students abuzz.
Cameron Moore, senior philosophy and religion major, said he sees the improvements in the new design of the bakery as well as cons.
“The new bakery has a lot of pros, such as more seating area,” he said. “But the color scheme of the yellow and orange with my cup of coffee has me bouncing off the walls. I want something more calming and relaxing.”
Moore also said a benefit of the changes to the bakery is the possibility of it now attracting students who may have never been to the bakery before.
“It really is the best-kept secret on campus and more people should know about it,” he said.
Bryan Snow, senior and public relations major, said he is not a fan of the bright color scheme in the post-renovation bakery.
 ”They should have went with earth tones,” he said.
 
The bakery’s new hues may have come as a surprise to some students upon first visit.
However, Bryant said the goal was to create a fresh atmosphere for the bakery.
“We wanted something updated and fresh,” she said. “By adding pops of color, we felt it would give the bakery a new feeling.”
In response to the student praise of the additional seating and the decision to remove the couches and chairs formerly encircling the television area, Bryant said is all part of bringing a new, retail feeling to the bakery.
“We wanted it to be more of a retail cupcake boutique than a coffee shop,” she said. “We fulfill our coffee shop need with the Starbucks in the Union.”
In addition to interior changes, the bakery’s menu had a facelift of its own.
Among those changes is the removal of sandwiches from the menu.
Shelby Sims, junior political science major, said in general, she approves of the bakery’s redesign but was disappointed about sandwhiches no longer being served.
“The bakery looks awesome,” she said. “But I was sad to see that there were no more sandwiches.”
When asked why Aramark decided to take sandwiches off the menu, Bryant said the Subway, scheduled to open soon next door to the bakery, is the reason.
Bryant said along with the changes at the bakery, the new Subway next door is the product of a collaboration between Mississippi State Dining and Mississippi State University to build new eateries on campus and update and improve existing ones. 
“Mississippi State Dining worked with Mississippi State University to obtain a contract extension, enabling us to build new locations and update existing locations,” she said.