Mississippi State University and its dining contractor, Aramark, spent the summer revamping existing dining locations and introducing a fresh lineup of dining options as part of their $30 million project to modernize campus dining. 

New locations include Perry-to-Go, the Perry Food Truck, Bento Sushi, Umble Coffee Co. and a lineup of local food trucks that will be available around campus. Fresh Food Company has also made significant changes, and block meals are now available at the P.O.D. Markets. 

Meal plans have also been adjusted to make block meals more flexible at retail locations. The block meal equivalency has increased to $8 and can now be used once a day at any time, removing the previous 4 p.m. restriction. 

These changes coincide with the May closure of The Marketplace at Perry, one of MSU’s major dining halls, for renovations. According to Aramark Resident District Manager James Jankowski, it was essential to ensure that the new locations opened before students returned for the fall to meet the demand created by Perry’s closure. 

Perry-to-Go

Perry-to-Go, which replaced State Fountain Bakery in the Colvard Student Union, offers lunch Monday through Friday.

Students can use block meals, Dawg Dollars or credit cards to receive one main course, two sides, a dessert, fruit and a beverage from a set menu. 

Jankowski said that Perry-to-Go will serve traditional Southern comfort foods similar to those found in The Marketplace at Perry, though without offering a choice between multiple main courses and sides. 

Perry Food Truck

Another new option is the Perry Food Truck, which is located on Union Plaza near the YMCA building and offers breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday. 

Orders can only be placed through GrubHub, which accepts block meals, Dawg Dollars and credit cards for this location. 

According to Jankowski, menu items include easily handheld items such as pancake platters, sandwiches and rice bowls.

Sophomore mechanical engineering major Jonathan Shelton from Union, MS, tried Perry Food Truck’s French dip sandwich on Thursday. Shelton said that he enjoyed the sandwich and praised the quick service. 

“It was very fast,” Shelton said. “I ordered it on the GrubHub app and it was ready in two or three minutes.” 

Bento Sushi

Bento Sushi opened on Aug. 11 in a newly renovated space on Lee Boulevard that it shares with Subway. It is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Friday and for dinner on Saturdays.

The menu includes various sushi options, as well as Japanese dishes like donburi, bento boxes, udon and ramen. 

Conner Johnson, a sophomore information technology services major from Starkville, said he enjoyed Bento Sushi’s tofu ramen but mentioned that the $13 price seemed high, although the large portions made it more reasonable. 

Jankowski said that the popularity of sushi and other Japanese foods that were introduced in the P.O.D. Markets influenced the decision to introduce Bento Sushi on campus. 

Bento Sushi accepts block meals, Dawg Dollars and credit cards in person and through GrubHub. Pre-made items such as sushi and donburi are also available in Bento Sushi’s cooler but can only be purchased in person. 

Umble Coffee Co. 

Umble Coffee Co., which took over the space formerly occupied by Bully’s Cafe in Barnes & Noble, opened on Aug. 13. The company is a recent MSU partner and operates a coffee shop on Industrial Park Rd. in Starkville.

In their Barnes & Noble location, Umble offers several locally brewed coffee and espresso-based drinks, as well as a selection of smoothies, refreshers, energy drinks and pastries. Orders can be placed in person or through GrubHub using Dawg Dollars and credit cards.

Kenneth Thomas, owner of Umble Coffee Co., said that the company is happy to be on the MSU Campus and excited to be able to serve the community. 

“Honestly, we’re really, really big on community, and so we really want to be a space where people can land or they can do their studying,” Thomas said. “I don’t even care if they buy a drink, but just a place where they can have conversations.”

Maggie Martin, a senior at Starkville Academy, studied in the new Umble location on Saturday as she drank a Magnolia latte, which she said is one of her favorites. Martin said that the new location is a good place to meet people and that even though she lives an equal distance from the two locations, she always ends up choosing the new one.

“I like this one more because it’s a little more focused if I want to study and get some work done, and it’s just a good place to come and like, meet people,” Martin said. 

Local food trucks

In addition to the new permanent locations on campus, a lineup of local food trucks will rotate across five campus locations, according to Aramark marketing manager Andrea Pichardo. Schedules for the trucks will be posted on MSU Dining’s social media and website. 

Pichardo said that currently, seven food trucks have completed registration. They will be staggered through the beginning of the semester and expected to be on campus during lunch Monday through Friday.

Confirmed food trucks include 44 Takeout, Mando’s, Frozen Rooster, Spotlight Cafe, BBQ Drippins and Pressed for Time. 

The food trucks will only accept orders through GrubHub and will accept Dawg Dollars and credit cards. Block meals will not be available.

New stations at Fresh Food Co.

Over the summer, Fresh Food Co. also made changes, adding one new station and revamping another to prepare for the Marketplace at Perry’s closing. 

According to Jankowski, the new station, Planted, will offer plant-based options. 

The other station, True Balance, is designed to accommodate students with the nine most common food allergies. Jankowski said it was moved and revamped to make it more closed off from the other stations, with separate food storage and cooking supplies. 

P.O.D. Market block meals

Some P.O.D. Markets across campus will now also offer a quick block meal option. 

Students can use the $8 meal equivalency to purchase one of the Good Day grab-and-go products and a 20-ounce Coca-Cola product. Options include items like sandwiches, salads, fruit cups and yogurt parfaits according to Jankowski. 

The Marketplace at Perry and several other locations are expected to reopen in Fall 2025. 

Jankowski emphasized that Aramark and MSU Dining are focusing not only the quantity of options but the quality of the food as well. 

“You know, we’re going away from the cafeteria style, the buffet style, and we’re focusing on these really high-quality products, individual dishes,” Jankowski said. “Really things that are going to allow our chefs to, like, flex their culinary creativity and really showcase a lot of a lot of their talent.”