Rules for dining at UTA
*Updated: January 2021
Dining for students, faculty and staff at The University of Texas at Arlington continues to look a little different because of social distancing requirements instituted by health agencies.
Wearing masks and practicing social distancing will still be enforced throughout the dining locations. Maverick Dining initially implemented safety procedures and additional cleaning protocols in spring 2021.
These include always wearing face coverings in all venues, practicing physical distancing at six feet, using gloves/washing hands regularly, conducting daily wellness and temperature checks, and sanitizing all high contact areas regularly.
The University has changed tables and seating in its dining areas to meet state requirements. Floor plans in Connection Café now allow for proper spacing. In the University Center, Bluebonnet Ballroom will serve as overflow seating for the Connection Café, while Palo Duro will offer more seating for the Plaza.
“These requirements could change depending on what happens and where we are concerning the coronavirus,” said David Albart, director of the University Center. “As a University, we have to be nimble to match up our dining with the requirements adopted at the federal, state and local levels.”
Patrons should not rearrange or relocate tables and chairs, which will be positioned to encourage compliance with social distancing. In addition, self-serve areas like the salad bar, drinks, deserts, grill and pizza stations will no longer be self-service.
Maverick Dining will continue to leverage the GrubHub Campus app to provide mobile ordering and pickup from the retail dining locations as well as Connection Café and Maverick Café (evening only). Students, faculty and staff can download the GrubHub app and connect to the campus locations. Students, faculty and staff can use their UTA meal plan swipes, dining dollars, College Park dollars or personal credit/debit card to purchase through the app.
All hours of operation start Jan. 16, 2021, and will be posted on the Dining website, www.DineOnCampus.com/UTArlington.
• The E.H. Hereford University Center’s Connection Café will open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Fridays and 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., 5:30 to 8 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
• The Maverick Café in The Commons will open from 5 to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays but only be available through GrubHub.
• The Market in the University Center will open 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.
• The Market in the Fine Arts Building will open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday.
• The Market on second floor of the Central Library will open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.
Hours and days of operation for other restaurants on campus can be found at the Dining website. Holiday adjustments will be found there as well.
Other dining options for students, faculty and staff include Pie Five, which will reopen Jan. 25, 2021, in the College Park District.
Maverick Catering also is offering Maverick Meal Kits, enjoy fresh meals made-to-cook. These seasonal meals can feed up to four people as you can choose from an array of soups, salads, sides, entrees and desserts. You can view the menu or place your order by visiting www.dineoncampus.com/UTArlington or contacting the catering team via Alma.Rudnickaite@compass-usa.com.
Dining staff may limit the amount of time students are in a dining hall or make other operational adjustments to address health and safety concerns. They will also clean dining areas throughout the day. Students also will be given sanitizing wipes to keep their tables and other surfaces clean.
“We all need to do our part to keep dining areas clean,” Albart said.
Meal plan rates will remain unchanged. Check the Maverick Dining website for all on-campus retail dining options and their updated hours of operation.
“Our goal is to get everyone fed and keep them safe while they’re dining at UTA,” Albart said.
Check the Coronavirus Information page for up-to-date information on campus operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.