As Villanovans return from the summer recess, they have found themselves seemingly inundated with different updates and upgrades of the campus’ dining options.
The biggest one is the summer renovation of the Connelly Center. The previous primary dining option inside was the “Belle Air Terrace,” which has now been completely removed, along with the Holy Grounds and “Smoothitas,” which opened just last semester.
They have been replaced with three distinct options: Nova Noodle Company, V Sushi and Wawa, the latter of which is fully functional, in comparison to a real-world Wawa.
The removal of Belle Air Terrace does eliminate Villanova’s primary full-meal option after 8 p.m., along with the closure of all-you-can-eat dining halls like Dougherty Hall (Pit) and Donahue Hall (Spit) and the lessened variety of the Late Night options offered on South and West Campus.
This has frustrated some Villanovans, both for the lack of varied student input surrounding this major change and also students with dietary restrictions.
“It upsets me greatly that there is not a place where I, as a diner with a restricted diet, can regularly get [simple foods like chicken tenders] at all hours of the day, including weekends,” senior Josh Mazurkiewicz said. “I am unable to utilize my meal plan to the fullest extent as there is not an easily accessible option. My opinion is that [Cafe Nova] should be open during the weekend to supplement such changes since Belle Air was removed without student opinion.”
The main difference between these three new Connelly Center dining options?
The first two accept meals/MPEs under Villanova’s current meal plan, while Wawa only accepts points, Novabucks and outside payment options.
That last point has been a point of irritation for many Villanova students.
“I do like that there are a lot of convenience options at Wawa, but it is ridiculous to not include MPEs as an option to eat there,” Mazurkiewicz said. “Belle Air was my primary source of food every day, sometimes twice a day.”
In more cuisine-focused changes, a few different dining options on campus altered dining options to try and appeal to all Villanova students.
On West Campus, Second Storey, in addition to its deli, added a nightly pizza option, which is open six days a week from 7:45 p.m. to 11:15 p.m. on Sundays through Thursdays and until 9:45 p.m. on Fridays.
Meanwhile, on Main, with the removal of the Connelly Holy Grounds, GrubHub has switched its “order ahead” feature to the Bartley Holy Grounds, while also making architectural changes to Bartley’s Curley Exchange, removing and replacing previous seating areas.
At Cafe Nova, “Blue Fin” replaces the sushi option that opened there at the beginning of 2025, now simply offering the poke bowls that became available in the late months of the spring semester.
These new initiatives and others all go back to the hiring of Villanova’s Executive Director of Dining Services, Andrew Camuso, nearly one year ago. Camuso brought with him big and bold plans for Villanova dining from the get-go and to date, has accomplished a lot of what he talked about with The Villanovan in an interview in early 2025.
“I think [we’ve] hit the ground running, there’s no doubt,” Camuso said. “I think where the department of dining itself is evolving is we’re really looking at destination dining, so having this inclusivity of having kind of food for everybody.”
Part of that plan has been close collaboration with Villanova’s Student Government Association (SGA) a
“I can confidently say that we are looking forward to another year of growth, collaboration, and new partnerships with [Villanova Dining],” SGA President Aleko Zeppos said, on behalf of the organization. “Since I first joined SGA, I’ve seen tremendous progress in our dining services, and I know this year will continue that momentum.
This is just the beginning, and I know with the assistance of SGA and student voices, Villanova Dining will continue to set the standard and surpass expectations.”
Villanova also cancelled a planned restructuring of its meal plan options, as after previously announcing that per-week options would reduce to an unlimited plan, an 18-meal plan, a 12-meal plan, a six-meal plan and a 100-meal block, Dining Services announced via email in mid-July a reversal.
“All students have been placed into the plan that most closely aligns with the one they selected, or were assigned to, in the spring,” the email read.
One thing that didn’t revert in the meal plan switcharoo? A nearly $200 increase in the price per plan, as that remained attached to the revived options, from $4650 per semester for the unlimited plan, down to $2650 for the 100-block plan. However, according to Zeppos and SGA, changes to meal plans may still be forthcoming.
“On the topic of meal plans, I know it came as a surprise to many when the “Mighty Munch” and “Frequent Foodie” plans reverted back to the previous options before the start of the semester,” Zeppos said. “With so many moving parts over the summer, it was difficult to maximize value for students with the sudden changes, so we made the decision to return to the original plans. That said, [students should] keep an eye out in the coming weeks for surveys and opportunities to share feedback on dining and meal plan offerings.”
