UC Riverside’s Lothian Residential Restaurant is closed over the summer for a remodeling project that will give it a fresh look and add more seating.
The student dining hall, which serves up to 1,400 diners a day, typically closes during the summer with the larger Glasgow Residential Restaurant remaining open for the smaller summer quarter student population.
This time, Lothian closed a little earlier on June 7 to prepare for a renovation that will begin mid-June with the goal of reopening by late September for the fall quarter.
Built in 1963, Lothian last saw some updates in 2015 including new flooring, tables and chairs, and the installation of the salad bar. This project will be the first major remodel of the space, said Cedric Martin, director of residential dining for Dining Services.
“It’s been showing its age for a few years, and we knew with our growing enrollment it was time to do something a little different with Lothian,” he said.
The project will include installing lighting, paint, and wood flooring and replacing the furniture with more modern tables and chairs. The room layout will change to include more community tables and bar seating, allowing it to expand its seating capacity from 340 to around 400.
The restaurant will feature a refreshed pizza station and a larger, more prominent dessert station.
Other changes include an updated look and feel at the entry, a modernized cashier stand, a new hand-washing station, and replacement of the dish conveyor and washing machine with more electricity- and water-efficient equipment.
Smaller than Glasgow, Lothian tends to have a more student-heavy crowd and an intimate feel, qualities it will continue to embrace with the remodel, Martin said.
“Lothian is always described to us by students as having a more homey, close-knit feeling to it so we felt it was very important that we maintain that feeling for them,” Martin said.
