The Village, Mississippi State University’s newest dining option, is now open and serving students at Griffis Residence Hall in Zacharias Village.
The new eatery offers students a selection of pizza, smoothies, sandwiches and other popular foods.
Director of dining services Jason Nall said the goal of opening The Village in Griffis Hall was to improve existing amenities available to students and to offer residents of the northern side of campus a convenient place to eat on campus.
“We were looking to expand the dinning services to the residence villages,” Nall said.
There was previously a coffee shop at that location. When the space became available, dining services administration wanted to fill it with a restaurant to meet the needs of students.
A pizza oven provided a good solution to the small space and also to the safety restrictions of the location, Nall said.
He said students were surveyed to determine a name for the new restaurant.
Dining Services intended to open The Village at the beginning of the semester.
It would have been better if it could have been opened sooner, before students formed routines, but snags in funding delayed its opening, Nall said.
Attractions like karaoke nights and the Starving Artists Series provide students with a unique dining experience while remaining on campus, he said.
The Village manager Nav Ashford said although there was already another established pizza place located in the Union, it provides students who like pizza with more options.
“We’re not singled out to anyone,” he said. “It’s open to anyone, but it is convenient for students from the village.”
Although The Village was not opened until September, most students are aware of its existence because the MSU Dining Services promoted its upcoming arrival during orientation this summer.
“The students love it,” Ashford said. “I’m glad it’s here.”
Ashford said the eatery also has options for students who want to eat something other than pizza.
“We’ve got pizza; we do po-boys,” he said. “We’ve got several other things students might need.”
It’s a convenient place to eat on campus, especially for students who live in Griffis Hall, junior industrial engineering major Kyle White said.
She said she eats at The Village at least once a day because the lines are short and the variety of food served there prevents the monotony of eating the same foods on a regular basis.
The Village provides buzzers to make dining more convenient for students. It is the easiest place on campus to eat, White said.