TCU Dining Services discussed plans for a complete renovation of Market Square at the Student Government Association House of Representatives meeting last week.

Michael Dahl, General Manager of Dining Services, told the representatives that Market Square, the main dining area for students located on the second floor of the Brown-Lupton University Union, was originally designed to serve about seven million meals.

Through the spring of 2016, they had already served over 11 million meals.

According to Dahl, talks have already begun to completely overhaul Market Square.

The renovations could begin as soon as summer 2017, but depending on a number of factors, including other campus construction, could be delayed until summer 2018.

In the meantime, Dining Services is making an effort to make Market Square less crowded and a more enjoyable experience for students.

Customer Service Manager Eric Davis said he and the staff are aware that the crowds during popular meal times are an issue for students in Market Square, and they want to explore all available avenues to remedy the problem.

With the addition of “meal exchanges” to all unlimited meal plans, Dining Services is attempting to encourage students to eat meals at other locations across campus, such as the King Family Commons and Smith Hall.

Meal exchanges can be used at any dining location on campus, aside from Chick-Fil-A.

All unlimited meal plans are equipped with 10 meal exchange swipes, while the Flex 7 and Flex 12 plans come with 50 and 100 exchange swipes respectively.

Dining Services hopes the meal exchange effort will also take some of the burdens off of the facilities in Market Square, which will keep it well-maintained and preserve it for longer.

For more information on renovations to Market Square, meal plan details, dining locations on campus and any other dining related information, visit the TCU Dining Services website.