– An Easy Spread –

The Fairfax, Virginia campus feeds 3.5 million mouths.
Averages over $20 million in sales.
Employs 450 dining personnel and 25 overseeing managers.
Resident District Manager Denise Ammaccapane dishes on George Mason University’s “Disney World” of dining.

Former head of training and development in the United States for Sodexo’s corporate dining sector, Ammaccapane administers all campus cuisine, greeting passing chefs, servers, and salespeople by name. From weekly meetings with student committees and the faculty senate, Ammaccapane labors 12-13 hours a day over every food site, going over pricing, menus, complaints, and compliments.

Dealing with requests such as a student’s desire for strawberry milk or a faculty member’s craving for green olives – Ammaccapane brings your desired palate to the plate.

Damon’s The ‘Rat’

The Rathskeller (“Rat”), first introduced in the ‘70s and ‘80s, makes a comeback, bringing a little history to this young university. The Rat replaced Damon’s average check total of $12.00, reducing it to an average of $6.00, featuring a menu appetizing to any taste-bud.

More importantly, it is the only place on campus with a ‘Happy Hour.’ Got time to kill between classes? Twenty-one years of age or older? Do some shots, chug some beers, or sip on a margarita.

Southside

Stars 6 restaurants: Without Boundaries (international food), Changing Colors (vegetables and fruit bar), 4400 Grill (self-explanatory), PastAmore (pasta and pizzas), Wrapped Up (deli-style sandwiches), and After All (desserts).

Watch what happens behind the kitchen door at Southside

Feeds 3,000 people daily.

Breakfast at Southside.

Make Your Own Waffles

An environmentally friendly E-correct machine compounds leftovers, biodegradables, and fodder into compost to be reused in agricultural endeavors. Start-to-finish indeed.

Southside’s E-correct End Product.

Johnson Center

Racks up $6 million annually.

Bistro: buffet-style gourmet grub
Jazzman’s Café: coffees, cold sandwiches, salads, some fruit
Burger King: averages $1 million in sales annually

Taco Bell: get something spicy

Freshëns: smoothies, juices, detoxify a hangover

SubConnection: attendants make subs with your choice of bread, meat, vegetables

World of Greens: salad bar, pasta salad

Sangam: vegetarian food

Mein Bowl: Asian cuisine

La Vincita: pizza, pasta, spaghetti

La Patisserie: sandwiches, baked goods, café-style menu
George’s: buffet ($7.50), quiet – good place for a conversation, make reservations
Peet’s Coffee & Tea: quick caffeine fix, (also featured in Giant, Bloom, Whole Foods)

Student Union Building 1

Chick-fil-A: waffle fries, chicken sandwiches, salads
Burrito Del Ray: Chipotle substitute

Convenience Stores

Rack in $4 million annually.

Express (Johnson Center)
1-Stop-Patriot-Shop (Blue Ridge Building)

Ike’s

Operating from 9pm-4am. It is the quintessential midnight craving quencher.
Serves 600-700 people nightly.
Located in President’s Park.

Starbucks

The only 24-hour beverage and snack location on campus.

Academic Buildings

Enterprise Hall features ‘Café à la Cart’ which serves coffee, tea, cold drinks, and sandwiches.
Most of the other buildings feature the old faithful (or not so faithful when it steals your money) vending machine.

Still to come, the new School of Art Building and Fenwick Library will both accommodate a Jazzman’s Café.

In the fall of 2010, look out for ‘Pilot House’ which will be another 9pm-4am late night dine-in behind Starbucks in the Hampton Road sector, serving an estimated 600 people nightly.

For commuters, residents, and visitors, Mason’s Fairfax campus offers a voluminous variety of food that caters to every appetite. So the next time you find yourself tossing $200 worth of stolen Southside cutlery or silverware out your dorm room window at night, don’t. The next time you’re hopping over dining booths, or secretly swapping your ID/meal plan card to illegitimately reuse, don’t.

Instead, sample the hundreds of flavor profiles available to this college community or get a celebratory beer after class. And most of all enjoy the freedom to do any and all of the above at any hour of the day.

Upcoming Events Thanksgiving Dining Event:
November 19th: 
Join Executive Chef Peter Schoebel at Southside for a lesson in turkey carving, and free recipes.
A traditional Thanksgiving Day meal for $8.50, including your favorites: cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie.

Upcoming Christmas Dining Event:
Gingerbread house making contest. Students will vote on the best gingerbread house.

Check out:

Mason Dining Facebook
Mason Dining E-files
Restaurants on Fairfax Campus
Menus

Get Xahira off: do some shots, dance to the Kings, don’t get soft. Send love, beats, and polaroids.