Dana Dining Hall Etiquette: The Do’s and Don’ts

Dana Dining Hall is the most wonderous place ever known to humankind. Each time you swipe your card, you gain access to a wonderful spread that nourishes your body and soul. However, some don’t know how to properly navigate Dana each day. 

The worst thing someone can do in Dana is not acknowledge the staff that works there: they do their best to make our experience as good as possible. When you walk into Dana, you should greet whoever is working at the front desk and see if they want to strike up a small conversation. Walking through the line with your earbuds in and ignoring whoever swipes you in is sure to anger the Dana gods. Additionally, if you are getting your food and a Dana staff member fixes a serving tray or replaces an empty one, you should say thank you. Far too often, these actions go unnoticed by students who wait in line for their food. Without the staff at Dana, it would not be the best dining establishment in the North Country. 

The lines for food are often created by students neglecting to get the food they want in an efficient manner. Dining Services has done an amazing job moving some of the more popular options to the bar so that the lines for the main entrée do not block the staple Dana items. However, when the entrées are in the main section of Dana, wait in line for the food you want instead of creating a line for the entire main Dana bar. If you want a food item that is blocked by the line, other than the main entrée, just ask someone if you can grab it quickly. This won’t back up the line for the main entrée and will reduce the amount of time both you and others must wait. Waiting in line specifically for the food you want is something that Dining Services has supported in multiple emails to students and will lower the amount of time it takes to get food. 

When serving yourself food or filling your cup at the drink fountains, there are some things you must keep in mind. The main issue is blocking the rest of the area while getting your food. Often, multiple serving stations will be blocked by one person getting food when there could be multiple people getting food or filling their cups at once. It can lengthen the lines when all this adds up, so being aware of your space is important. 

Also, when filling up your giant water bottle: yes, hydration is important, and yes, Dana has nice cold water. Just don’t create a giant line behind you. If someone is waiting to fill their cup with water, let them go first. Similarly, one of the largest Dana crimes one can commit is filling up your cup, drinking it, and then filling it up again. If you want to do this, you should go to the end of the line instead of filling your cup again. 

Finally, if you create a mess at your table or spill some food from your plate, you should clean it up. If you spill something on the floor at home, you clean it up yourself, and it should be no different in Dana. You created the mess and are therefore responsible for it. Similarly, after meals, you wipe down your table at home and do your dishes, which are two things you don’t have to do. However, if you make the table dirtier than you find it, take the time to wipe it quickly with a napkin. 

Creating a good environment in Dana is essential to make the best dining experience for everyone and make the dining staff’s jobs as easy as possible.