Following a $5.5 million overhaul funded by the University of Northern Colorado’s food service vendor, Holmes Dining Hall reopened this semester with expanded hours and new amenities.
Though built to serve UNC, Holmes Dining Hall is open to the general public, offering an all-you-can-eat buffet for $18.50 for people 13 and older and $11.50 for children ages 4-12 on UNC’s West Campus.
Unlike previous years when the facility closed between breakfast, lunch and dinner, the dining hall now runs continuously from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, closing just 30 minutes earlier on Fridays. Weekend brunch starts at 11 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays, and the dining hall remains open through dinner until 6:30 p.m.
UNC students relax, eat and socialize at Holmes Dining Hall on the campus of the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. (Brice Tucker/Staff Photographer)
The 90-day renovation — from May through August — replaced 22-year-old finishes with updated lighting, new flooring, mountain-themed wall motifs and seating with power outlets for remote work and study. The dining hall’s new spacious layout and variety of seating options, including low couches, booths and tables, can accommodate individual students as well as larger groups.
Before the renovations, UNC sophomore Ryan Cornell recalls the layout as “big, random tables scattered everywhere.”
“Now, it’s got more flexible seating, so we can sit really anywhere,” he said.
One of those seating areas called “the library” offers nooks with more-gentle lighting where students can study.
UNC students relax, eat and socialize at Holmes Dining Hall on the campus of the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. (Brice Tucker/Staff Photographer)
Between traditional meals, the dining hall offers modified food options.
“You can come in and still get a salad bar, you can make a panini,” said Meagan Johnson, UNC director of dining services.
The food services and facilities management company Sodexo, which partners with UNC, made the $5.5 million investment. Sodexo previously entered into an agreement with the university to manage and operate its food and vending service operations.
On any given day, Holmes Dining Hall serves between 2,000 and 3,000 people total for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
UNC students put toppings on baked potatoes at Holmes Dining Hall on the campus of the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. (Brice Tucker/Staff Photographer)
UNC offers several other options for food including at Tobey-Kendel Dining Hall, which was remodeled a few years ago and is located on the university’s Central Campus.
When Sodexo announced its partnership with UNC in 2022, it said it would deploy robots to deliver hot meals and cold drinks directly to dorm rooms or other areas of campus as requested “in year two or three.” Such robots have appeared on college campuses across the country.
However, at UNC, the delivery robots never came to fruition.
“Unfortunately, that’s a very expensive thing, and that cost has to be transferred to our students,” Johnson said. “We didn’t feel that that was a cost that made sense.”
Dining and Cooking