The weather is getting colder and the dining tent has been removed from the Quad outside Commons. In order to minimize the number of students in Upper Commons, the large tent outside was meant to allow students to sit and eat in an open and safe environment. With the tent gone, dining employees are preparing for an influx of students indoors.

The bistro in the School of Law will now be accepting meal swipes in order to spread out the number of students entering dining halls. It will be open Monday through Thursday from 4:30-7:30 p.m. beginning on Oct. 26. Orders can be placed on the GET app and picked up at the bistro.

Takeout options will still be available from Upper Commons and the capacity will continue to be monitored. There are already plans in the works in case the number of people entering Upper Commons does increase.

“If we begin to notice that guests trying to access the Upper Commons is higher than regulation limits, we plan to increase the variety and amount of quick-service to-go items in order to move students through the café at a faster pace to maintain physical-distancing and capacity conditions,” said James Gubata, general manager of dining.

Gubata said the dining staff has been doing well with social distancing and sanitation regulations. He also says staff has transitioned well to the adjustments made in Upper and Lower Commons with the addition of plexi-guards and changing self-serve areas.

“Our sanitation and food-safe standards have always been in-depth and systematic so transitioning through COVID requirements has greatly been about reiterating those standards,” Gubata said.

The dining team will continue to monitor the situation to ensure that students and staff are staying safe. There are no set plans yet for the tent going back up for the spring semester, but dining management will assess how the fall went and speak to Vice President of Student Life John King about the matter.