UC Riverside’s largest and most modern dining venue is now open to the entire campus.

The Glasgow Residential Restaurant at the north end of campus has become a popular spot for students since it opened in fall 2020. However, until now it had been restricted to student meal-plan holders due to COVID-19 safety precautions.

With the start of the spring quarter last week, Glasgow began welcoming all students, faculty, staff, and visitors for lunch. “Lunch for All” is available Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. The price is $14 for an all-you-can eat buffet. Breakfast, brunch, dinner, and weekend meals remain restricted to meal-plan holders.

Dining Services had always planned to eventually open Glasgow to all, but restricted capacity initially due to the pandemic, said Moses Preciado, senior manager at Glasgow. He noted that they’ve had several inquiries from staff and faculty about eating at Glasgow.

With vaccination rates up and positivity rates down, conditions have improved to where they felt the time was right, Preciado said.

“Everybody’s been waiting on it,” he said. “We’re all excited to feed them. We’re excited to provide them with another dining option.”

The 51,000-square-foot two-story building has a 900-seat capacity and features five main food stations where diners can choose from a wide variety of cuisines.

The most popular serving line is the 360 Grill, a circular station in the center of the first floor that serves items such as burgers, sandwiches, chicken tenders, and french fries. 

Another serving line on the side of the room is the soup, salad, and deli bar that includes pre-made salads, sandwiches, and soups. It also includes two build-your-own salad bars.

The other side of the room features the exhibition bakery where diners can see staff preparing cookies and cakes for the dessert bar which also features gelatin desserts, puddings, and a soft-serve station with cones and toppings.

The beverage bar offers soft drinks, lemonade, vitamin-enhanced waters, sparkling water, brewed tea, coffee, and, during breakfast, freshly squeezed orange juice. 

The cereal bar offers eight cereal varieties as well as soy and almond milk options. Diners can also build their own waffles at breakfast and lunch at the waffle bar.

On the second floor, the Carvery is the center food station serving carved roasted or baked proteins such as rotisserie chicken along with vegetable and starch sides.

Nearby is the Wok serving line that offers Asian-inspired dishes such as kung pao and orange chicken along with rice and noodles. Some days it also includes Indian and Pakistani dishes like butter chicken.

Further along the side of the room is the hot plate line which serves different varieties of pizza every day. Occasionally, it will include a hot dessert such as a churro bar or mini pies.

“It’s very popular with our students,” Preciado said.

All the food stations have at least one vegetarian or vegan option while halal chicken is served at the Carvery. The menus are frequently changed to provide diners with a varied experience, Preciado said. The restaurant also serves as a test kitchen for chefs to try out new recipes.

Diners can check out the menus at the Dining Services website.

Preciado noted that Glasgow is also popular among students for its ambiance. It features high ceilings, large windows with expansive views, and includes an outdoor patio on the second floor.

“It’s certainly not what people think of when they think of college dining,” Preciado said. “It’s a more elevated experience.”