Liberty University Reber-Thomas Dining Hall

As the primary dining facility on campus, this state-of-the-art servery is designed to serve the entire student population—up to 2,600 people per meal. While accommodating such a large capacity, the building’s scale is thoughtfully broken down into human-scale proportions, allowing for a compatibility with the campus’s existing architectural character.

The main level features an open dining area alongside 28 food service stations arranged along a central “Main Street” axis. It also houses full-service prep kitchens and a dishwashing facility. The lower level provides additional student seating, along with the university’s catering facility, a bakery—including a dedicated gluten-free section—cold and dry storage, support offices, and a five-bay covered loading dock.

At the heart of the design is “The Great Hall,” a light-filled dining space with soaring vaulted ceilings. A grand, bifurcating stair seamlessly links this space to the lower level, enhancing circulation and connectivity.

Echoing the materiality of campus architecture, the exterior design features a sweeping canopy that extends seating options for alfresco dining, further enriching the student experience.

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