Students can buy food and drinks but will have to wait a bit longer before they can sit in the reopened Union Grounds.

The coffee and snack shop reopened Friday after a month of renovations. Furniture is still being delivered, Executive Director of Student Affairs Mike Russel said.

According to Russel, the renovations will include more seating and big screen televisions, and the new back counter will serve made-to-order sandwiches and Marble Slab Creamery style ice cream.

Russel said there will not be as many food items as before in the refrigerator, freezer and snack sections, but there will be more food items at the counter.

The renovations made it difficult for some students to get coffee before class, but Russel said that the reaction to the new renovations has been positive.

“They mostly tell me how nice it looks, how nice the space is, the lighting, the TVs,” he said.

Chelsea Kinder, a sophomore nursing major, said she goes to Union Grounds almost every morning before her classes begin and likes the renovations so far.

“I think it’s a lot bigger, cuter and more convenient because the bar is a lot longer,” Kinder said.

“I came here the other morning to get some coffee and they were closed. That was kind of annoying. It wasn’t the worker’s fault, so I was kind of forgiving.”

First year nursing students Michelle Yates and Jenna Knoth, who both said they regularly buy coffee at Union Grounds, found the renovations inconvenient.

"One time I wanted my coffee, but it was closed," Yates said.

"But when it's open, it's great!" Knoth replied.

The renovations are expected to be completed in mid-February, according to Russel.

Russel also said that there will be a grand reopening party in the near future.