Gothic Glow: Inside Mississippi State’s Dining Renovation

At Mississippi State University, home of the Bulldogs, in Starkville, Miss., the time had come to renovate the school’s historic cafeteria. With its soaring, cathedral-style ceiling with wood arches and high windows (Harry Potter fans, think Hogwarts), Perry Cafeteria, built in 1921, stood as a campus institution for residential diners. The renovation, Perry’s first major overhaul since the mid-1990s, would not only revamp foodservice operations and bring the building up to code, but it also would transform the facility into a campus dining hub by opening its doors to everyone.

MSU’s contract foodservice provider, Aramark, based in Philadelphia, spearheaded and financed the project with input from the university. Aramark tapped a longtime partner in foodservice design and architecture, Tipton Associates, of Baton Rouge, La., to draw up plans for the space. Design work began in 2023, followed by construction in May 2024.

In August 2025, Perry Food Hall opened. The final cost came to about $24 million for the 59,783-square-foot, two-floor project. The resulting hall features six outlets. Three dining concepts plus a Starbucks can be found on Perry’s main floor. The 1921 Cafe, named for the year Perry opened, offers comfort food along with campus traditions such as Fried Chicken Wednesdays and Catfish Fridays. Bark, a smokehouse-inspired venue, specializes in slow-cooked barbecue classics. And The Beet Drop serves customizable salads and plant-forward meals. Perry’s lower level houses the State Fountain Bakery and national chain Moe’s Southwest Grill.

“Students appreciate the fact that Perry is open to everyone now,” says James Jankowski, resident district manager for Aramark at MSU and one of the project planners. “I’ve heard comments on its renovation, the coziness of the space, the soft seating and comfortable atmosphere.” Nearly five months into operations, daily meals served at Perry tally about 1,900, Jankowski says.

The eatery’s main hall boasts Gothic Revival architecture.

Glass & Brick

Challenges facing planners started with preserving Perry’s Gothic Revival architecture while creating an area for indoor circulation between the main and lower levels. Planners also had to revamp residential dining food platforms into a retail format and create a showcase for the school’s more than 100-year-old baked goods concept. The final task lay in updating layout and utilities on the lower level.

One of the first tasks was to link the two levels. “Before the renovation, guests could only access Perry’s main level from the building’s front, and its lower level from the north side, which sits at a slightly lower elevation,” says Erin Morgan, principal and architect for Tipton.

An addition proved the best solution. But the proposal came with parameters. The Mississippi Department of Archives and History requires that new work on historic buildings such as Perry Cafeteria (one of 18 on the MSU campus) clearly distinguish itself from the original materials while still being compatible. This is how Perry acquired a glass box extension facing the building’s North Plaza, which also earned a makeover. The addition houses the new stairway and elevator, as well as light-filled extra seating space for State Fountain Bakery and Moe’s.

“The glass box provides direct access to Perry’s retail venues while opening the building visually to the campus,” Morgan says.

A Starbucks location anchors the south end of Perry Food Hall’s main level.

Hello, Retail

Another sea change lay in rethinking Perry’s role on campus. “Student Affairs had requested that we open Perry up to the students for all-day dining, and include a communal area for everyone on campus,” Jankowski recalls. The request meant switching from all-you-care-to-eat residential dining to a retail model that also accommodated meal plans.

Achieving this goal required a whole new approach to the servery layout. The previous floor plan had featured multiple serving stations, many of them out in the grand hall. “It felt congested, lots of lines, lots of queuing,” Morgan recalls. Seating areas along the sides and behind the columns blocked any see-and-be-seen vibe.

To achieve a hybrid retail/meal plan model, planners first condensed the most popular stations into three full-menu concepts where MSU undergrads can buy a meal with Dawg Dollars, and guests can use credit cards. Then they opened up space in the grand hall by positioning the concepts behind the archways, extending into the back-of-house area.

Clearing dining operations out of the 16,000-square-foot main hall increased the seat count to 610, and allowed a wider variety of tables and chairs. “We also added lounge and study spaces, community tables for large groups, and reservable rooms,” says Sydney Watts, Tipton’s interior designer. “The new layout, with proper queuing areas, boosts circulation space within the building. It’s a lot more functional.”

Each concept has the equipment and storage to prep, cook and serve its entire menu.

The food hall concepts and support space cover 4,400 square feet, compared to the 5,000 square feet used by the previous servery. Each concept has the equipment and storage to prep, cook and serve its entire menu. “This layout allows for a more open kitchen design, where you can actually see the food being cooked and prepped fresh,” Morgan notes.

Of note from an equipment standpoint is the barbecue concept. Bark, named for both the school mascot and the flavorful crust that forms on smoked meats, features a custom indoor wood-fired smoker. “Bark required extra coordination with our mechanical team,” Morgan says. “They had previously located the smoker on the back loading dock outside, but that was not very efficient. To bring the smoker inside and make it a part of the daily cooking, we gave it its own tiny room, and a carving station in the front. The mechanical coordination for that little room had to be very specific for the smoker to make sure that the whole space wasn’t getting smoky.”

Lower Level Upgrades

Perry’s lower level underwent considerable change as well. “We removed old utilities from the space that had caused some very low head-heights,” Morgan says. Fresh paint and lighting brightened the space further. Renovation planners relocated Aramark’s offices, reorganized dry storage and installed new walk-in coolers and freezers to accommodate food storage needs of Perry and the nearby student union. Planners also expanded and raised the loading dock for smoother truck deliveries.

The State Fountain Bakery’s seating area welcomes guests.

At the lower level’s State Fountain Bakery, a more than 100-year-old MSU tradition known for its signature dog bone cookies, chess pies and caramel cakes, earned a front-and-center spot in the makeover. Its entryway, part of the existing Perry’s brick facade, resembles a nostalgic building storefront. “Window graphics let you know you’ve arrived,” Morgan says. Inside, baked treats sit on display under domed glass along the counter.

State Fountain Bakery happens to boast MSU’s only robotic barista. “The unit allowed us to introduce boba teas to campus in a format that was not a heavy lift for our team,” says Jankowski, who played a key role in specifying the unit. “We saw the machine as a good addition to the menu and a way to drive incoming students and returning guests to the location to see what all was being offered.”

A full bakery that supplies baked goods to the entire campus sits near the center of the lower level. This area sports new prep space, roll-in bread ovens, proofers, fryers and a doughnut maker. Tempered air in the cake room ensures optimal conditions for cake decorating.

What’s Next

Flexibility defines Perry’s future. For its food concepts, “we will adjust menus based on seasonality and guest requests,” Jankowski says. “And we’re putting our culinary team to the test by experimenting with a variety of meats in the smoker.”

The glass box addition will receive special focus. “We’re considering offering the building or the glass enclosure as a venue for wedding receptions and special events,” Jankowski says. “Additionally, our marketing team is figuring out how to incorporate the glass box addition’s renovated North Plaza into events we’ve held in previous years.”

FACTS

PERRY FOOD HALL,
MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY
STARKVILLE, MISS.

OPENED: August 2025

CAMPUS ENROLLMENT: 23,563

PROJECT OVERALL SIZE: 59,783 sq. ft.; 2 stories

SERVERY & BOH SIZE: 24,100 sq. ft. for main floor and lower level

NO. OF CONCEPTS: 6

SEATING: 610 total (518 on main floor; 92 on lower level)

ARAMARK: Greg Huerkamp, executive chef of MSU Dining Services; James Jankowski, resident district manager; Alisdair MacLean, VP, collegiate hospitality; Dominic Towe, culinary director of Perry Food Hall

MSU: Cheryl Bowen, executive director, budget and planning; Regina Hyatt, VP, student affairs; Mark Keenum, president

FOODSERVICE DESIGN & ARCHITECT: Erin Morgan, principal and architect; Taylor Saxena, architectural associate and designer; Sydney Watts, interior designer; Dan Zito, architect and designer, Tipton Associates, Baton Rouge, La.

DEALER: TriMark SS Kemp, Pittsburgh

FOODSERVICE GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Rycon Construction, Pittsburgh

WEBSITE: msstatedining.campusdish.com

KEY EQUIPMENT

Throughout

Advance Tabco stainless worktables, shelving and sinks

T&S Brass faucets

Metro wire shelving

Garland ranges

Victory reach-in and undercounter refrigerators, freezers

Kolpak walk-ins

PMG food shields

Hatco heat lamps

Scotsman ice makers

1921 Cafe 

Frymaster fry warmer

Henny Penny pressure fryer

Hobart planetary mixer, vertical cutter mixer, conveyor dishwasher

Garland gas charbroiler, hot plate

Desco pasta cooker

Cleveland tilting skillet braising pan

RATIONAL combi oven

Alto-Shaam heated holding cabinet, blast chiller

Delfield hot/cold drop-in units

Concordia coffee machine

Salvajor disposer

The Beet Drop

Hobart electric food cutter, food slicer

Robot Coupe food processor

Delfield hot/cold drop-in unit, cold drop-in unit

Bark

Southern Pride smoker

Taylor griddle

Frymaster gas fryer, fry warmer

RATIONAL combi oven

Garland hot plate

Robot Coupe food processor

Hatco heated shelves

Hobart food slicer

Delfield hot/cold drop-in unit

Victory refrigerated base

State Fountain Bakery

Botrista automated beverage
machine

Victory sandwich prep table

Frymaster gas fryer

TurboChef oven

APW Wyott food pan warmer

Equipex waffle cone maker

Concordia coffee machine

Structural Concepts refrigerated and ambient display cases

Master-Bilt ice cream dipping cabinet

Schaerer espresso/cappuccino machine

Waring double spindle shake mixer

Nemco ice cream dipper station

True refrigerator

Bakery Production Kitchen

Baxter proofer cabinet, rotating rack oven

Belshaw doughnut fryer, hand glazer

Univex reversible dough sheeter

Hobart planetary mixer

Editor’s note: The floor plan above shows the main level only. The State Fountain Bakery and bakery production kitchen are on the lower level.

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