By: Alex Spindler ~Staff Writer~
The Hoff Dining Commons, in coordination with Xavier Dining, will sponsor a Valentine’s Day Steak Dinner on Feb. 13, just one day shy of the actual holiday.
This event, part of the Commons’ “Xtra Special Experiences” series, hopes to attract students (with or without meal plans) to the dining hall for a festive evening of love, community and prime Ribeye. Students, faculty and any visitors will also have the convenience of visiting a chocolate fondue fountain and dining on linen sheets for a holistically romantic experience.
The Hoff Dining Commons, after receiving multiple awards for culinary excellence at the university setting, frequently showcases events such as this to renew interest in the student body for the café style.
Colloquially nicknamed “The Caf,” the Dining Commons annually serves a traditional Thanksgiving meal, provides meatless options during the Christian season of Lent, offers gluten-free and vegetarian options year-round for students who prefer or need those options.
The caf just recently dished out Super Bowl snacks aplenty with mozzarella sticks, hot wings and salty pretzels.
The hope behind promoting these events is to encourage both upper and lowerclassmen to frequent the Dining Commons and to encourage the Jesuit solidarity of community, a mission upheld in honor by the university.
In fact, most individuals would never assume that the architectural design of the Dining Commons was built around those ideals. Appropriated sections of the cafeteria either reflect or encourage one of the many values handed down by the Society of Jesus. Distinguishable evidence points to that framework, since the Jesuit sun, photos of alumni being men and women for others and references to past religious figures are evident throughout the cafeteria.
Although a steak dinner fits the Valentine’s Day theme, the Hoff is taking a step further with an evening of compassion and togetherness.
Students with a meal plan will only need to pay an addition three dollars to a meal swipe to receive a steak cooked of their choice. Any student wishing to attend dinner without the steak will not be forced to pay the extra fee. Dinner hours for the Hoff Dining Commons begin at 4:30 p.m. and end at 8 p.m. when the cafeteria closes.
