Big flavors, new spaces: MSU launches all-new dining for fall
Contact: Brock Turnipseed
STARKVILLE, Miss.—This fall, ĸ is offering new dining options and updates on familiar favorites for students, as well as changes in Dawg Dollars, the university’s prepaid student debit account.
After being closed for major renovations, the historic Perry Cafeteria is reopening with new dining features and a new name—Perry Food Hall. Students also will have a new dining location, Azalea Marketplace, located in MSU's newest residence hall, Azalea Hall. Both open in August.
The renovated Perry Food Hall is maintaining its historic charm while bringing the social and dining aspects of big-city food halls and introducing an entirely new dining experience on campus. Instead of the traditional all-you-care-to-eat setup, it is becoming a food hall featuring three restaurant-style concepts—1921 Café, The Beet Drop and Bark.
The 1921 Café—named for the year Perry was built—features Southern staples, including MSU traditions like Fried Chicken Wednesday and Catfish Friday. Bark brings a handcrafted smokehouse experience with bold flavors and delicious sides, while The Beet Drop offerings are the choice of a customizable salad experience or a vegan meal.
Perry Food Hall is opening as more than just a place to enjoy a meal—it will be a new campus neighborhood where students can study and connect. With open lounge areas, students can enjoy the space without needing to purchase a meal. Students who want to enjoy a meal can simply pay at the dining concept of their choice. Starbucks also is relocating to Perry, making it easy to grab a favorite drink on the go or relax with friends over coffee and a treat.
A revitalized north end of Perry Food Hall is providing an expanded Moe’s Southwest Grill and reintroducing ĸFountain Bakery, which returns to its original location and offers delicious, sweet treats such as MSU ice cream, donuts and the famous dog bone cookies.
“The reopening of a renovated Perry Food Hall marks an exciting new chapter for dining at ĸ,” MSU Vice President for Student Affairs Regina Hyatt said. “With new offerings like 1921 Café, Bark, and The Beet Drop—alongside the return of campus favorites such as ĸFountain Bakery and an expanded Moe’s Southwest Grill—students now have a variety of outstanding dining options along with thoughtfully designed spaces to socialize, study and feel at home on campus.”
The new residence for students, Azalea Hall, features private, single-room living areas nested together in pod-like communities and a campus storm shelter, and also includes Azalea Marketplace. This new dining hall is offering three new concepts—ĸSlice, which offers brick-oven and hand-tossed pizzas; Mezza, a Mediterranean-themed menu with made-to-order pastas; and The Lock Box, a ghost kitchen serving a diverse, rotating lineup of choices with food lockers available for convenient, contactless pickup.
“We’re equally excited about Azalea Marketplace, which brings fresh, customizable dining options right to our newest residence hall. This space reflects our commitment to innovation, convenience and a high-quality campus experience,” Hyatt said.
All first-time students and full-time undergraduate students 25 and under on the Starkville campus are being automatically enrolled in $300 Dawg Dollars each semester. Dawg Dollars can be used at all campus dining locations, Maroon and P.O.D. Markets, Barnes & Noble Café, District Nutrition in College View Apartments, select campus vending machines and select concession stands in Davis Wade Stadium and Humphrey Coliseum. Dawg Dollars are billed directly to the student’s university account, and balances carry over from semester to semester and year to year. Unused balances at graduation will be returned to the student.
“We are deeply grateful to our students for their patience throughout the renovation and to our dining services staff for their exceptional dedication during this transition. The wait has been worth it—we’re excited to offer a truly elevated dining experience at MSU,” Hyatt added.
Visit dining.msstate.edu to learn more about dining locations, menus, meal plans and more. For information on Dawg Dollars, visit dawgdollars.msstate.edu.
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