Nestled in the corner of the Tilley Student Center at Green Hall resides the new dining location Nolaire. Its menu includes delicious crêpes, baguette sandwiches and baked goods. This new option is the perfect spot for any student who might want to sample the menu of a French-Louisianian style restaurant.
Located in the former location of The Nook, Nolaire’s bright aesthetic takes on a more musical note with its New Orleanian jazz-inspired artwork.
When students first noticed the umbrella-garnished café tables at the start of the fall semester, many were surprised to see the once overlooked dining location next to Brewvita transformed into something new.
“We always want to … do something different,” said Todd Reynolds, Sodexo’s general manager of retail dining. “Something that is going to make it a destination location.”
After taking a trip to New Orleans last spring, Reynolds decided that the eclectic port city would be the inspiration for this new addition.
“You can’t get a bad meal (there),” Reynolds said. “(Liberty) doesn’t really offer any type of New Orleans cuisine anywhere on campus, so (it) just got me thinking about that concept.”
And he was right. While Liberty offers a plethora of dining options for students, such as fast food at Chick-fil-A and Hey Cow, pan-Asian food at Star Ginger and even breakfast and smoothie locations like Shake Smart and Dunkin’, the school had yet to offer something as distinct as Nolaire.
“But we didn’t want to just do it without getting student input,” Reynolds said. “Just because we think it’s a good idea, doesn’t mean the students will.”
Last spring, a survey was held for students to give their input about possible new food locations, and the results were almost overwhelmingly in favor of Nolaire’s entrance to the campus’ culinary scene.
“I’m happy that they’re trying to cater to students,” junior Leilani Sloan-Giles said. “They saw that people were skimming over The Nook and decided to change things up. It’s nice to see.”
The Nook had garnered interest when it was first introduced at the start of the fall semester in 2022 but eventually lost traction due to its short service hours and limited menu.
“It was primarily a breakfast location, and it was closing at 3 o’clock every day,” Reynolds said. “We just weren’t seeing a whole lot of traffic there after 11 or 12 o’clock.”
In contrast, Nolaire’s weekday hours extend from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., which allows students to grab a meal at any time during the day. The longer hours give breathing room to students with later classes or tighter schedules.
“We thought that if we did something where the students would have a little bit more selection, if they wanted breakfast … some lunch items … or a snack or dessert, (Nolaire) would cover all of that.”
The change has already proven to meet students’ needs. Reynolds happily reported that traffic has doubled from The Nook’s since the start of the semester.
“I was almost scared to go up,” junior Jess Bucher said. “It was, like, prime lunch time, and there was a huge group of people waiting to order.”
Nolaire’s sweets, such as cookies, tarts and crêpes, are made from scratch with actual New Orleans-inspired recipes. And the beignet mix is shipped directly from Café Du Monde in New Orleans.
“It took a lot of work to make that happen,” Reynolds said. “But Nolaire looks to provide the freshest and best quality.”
According to Reynolds, there is still more work to be done, including accommodating students with different food allergies.
“We’re not 100% done,” Reynolds said. “We don’t have GIO-swipes at this location. (But) we’re working through that.”
Reynolds also emphasized that safety is Nolaire’s top priority, so before they introduce allergen-friendly options, they want to make sure the food’s preparation is as safe as possible. For more information about Liberty Dining’s food options and hours, follow @libertydining on Instagram.
Gallagher is a feature reporter for the Liberty Champion.