New Dining Center and Coop Hours: What’s Behind the Recent Changes

Since the start of the 2025-2026 academic year, students have expressed a mix of confusion, frustration, and even delight regarding the new Dining Center (DC) and Coop hours. Many students are surprised that the Coop reduced its hours, as they believed dinner to be one of the busiest times. Angelina Kent ’28 said, “The new DC hours are a good thing overall since it accommodates more people, such as athletes. I think that’s worth having fewer Coop hours.” Swagnita Das ’28 feels that “the Coop hours are a little inconvenient. Last year, I mainly went for breakfast or dinner, which I can’t really do anymore.” 

In previous years, both the Dining Center and Coop were open from 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.. Now, the Coop’s hours have been reduced to 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Dining Center hours have been extended to 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. during the week. To understand the reasoning behind these changes, The Clerk spoke with Thomas Mitchell, Director of Dining Services.  

Mitchell explained that during the COVID-19 pandemic, both the DC and the Coop were open for longer hours. While students wanted those hours to continue, Dining Services was severely over budget during that time. Since then, hours for both locations have adjusted repeatedly to balance funding, staffing, and student demand. 

Prior to this academic year, Student Life informed Dining Services that many students wanted extended DC hours. Given limited funding, Dining Services had to choose between extending the DC’s schedule or maintaining full Coop hours. They chose to cut Coop dinner. Per the internal Dining Services data, student traffic demonstrated that the busiest period is lunchtime at the Coop, so it made the most sense to reduce hours after lunch. 

Furthermore, there are not many staff members who are willing or able to work late-night hours in the Coop, and those who did in previous years were often working overtime. Mitchell noted that roughly ten years ago, the students who worked at the Coop helped sustain its longer hours, similar to how Uncommon Grounds is run at Bryn Mawr College. Unless more students are hired to work at the Coop, it cannot remain open for extended hours; unfortunately, the funding for such staffing is not currently available. In Mitchell’s words, “We can do anything if we have the funding.” He routinely expresses his desire to meet students’ wants and needs, while also emphasizing that there is not enough funding to fully meet those expectations. 

In contrast, extended hours in the DC have been easier to manage. Staff schedules were rearranged to avoid overtime, and the extended hours have even helped reduce food waste. While only sixty students come between the hours of 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. according to internal Dining Services data, this seems to be enough students to clear out some of the extra hot food that is left over from peak dinner hours. Mitchell stated that they do not replenish the trays with new food past 8:00 p.m. because it would be difficult to determine the amount of food that needs to be ordered in advance. A DC staff member who regularly operates the desk where students swipe their OneCards mentioned that “In between the hours of 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., it’s common for students to come in just to get cereal or dessert.” While DC staff benefit from less food waste, students benefit from late-night snacking in between studying. 

Mitchell highlights that one key aspect to keep in mind is that Dining Center operations are a “group decision-making process” and that DC operations are a constant balancing act of “student happiness and staff happiness.” Student feedback is channeled through Student Life, with additional input coming from the Athletics Department, the administration, as well as the Student Dining Center Committee, which was responsible for the addition of the Nacho and Cava Bars. As the conversation came to a close, Mitchell mentioned that he was on his way to a meeting with Dean John McKnight, Director of Athletics Danielle Lynch, and staff from Student Life, a further testament to the Haverford community’s collaborative efforts to maintain and improve DC operations. 

When asked about the future of Coop and DC hours, Mitchell said there are no certain predictions, as it all depends on how much funding the College will allocate to Dining Services. In the meantime, he encourages students to share their thoughts via the student feedback QR codes posted around the DC. While the future of the Coop and DC hours remains uncertain, Mitchell hopes that continued dialogue and student feedback will help shape a dining program that best serves the Haverford community.