Suwannee Dining Room

Suwannee Room is one of two dining halls at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. This building is located on the east side of the campus behind the William Johnston Building.
This dining hall is open to students, staff, and visitors at Florida State University. It’s designed to have all-you-can-eat food stations featuring different types of food such as a salad bar, a cereal bar, a comfort food station, and a dessert station.
History
The Suwannee Room is over 100 years old, located in one of the oldest buildings on campus at the Florida State University The room originates in the William-Johnston building, where it still stands today. For around 60 years the entire Johnston building was referred to as the “Dining Hall”. The building held a continuously use bakery, creamery, and cannery. Students and staff were able to use an informal dining hall, two formal dining halls and a private dining area for faculty and the university President. The Suwannee Room was built at the William Johnston building in 1913. At the time, the Buckman act had reorganized the Florida college system, changing the school into the Florida State College for Women. Women were able to enjoy the Suwannee Room as a buffet-style cafeteria that served breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Many of these women were able t pay their tuition by working as “Dining Hall Girls”. On April 28, 1969, a fire broke out in the iconic Westcott building. This led to the closing of the Suwannee room, as staff from the Westcott building moved into space. These displaced administrative offices remained in the William-Johnston building for over 30 years. The Suwannee Room as it stands today in the eastern section if the William Johnston building, was renovated and reopened in 2006.
Notable Staff Member
Mrs. Killings is a well-known staff to many students who have passed through the halls of Florida State. She has been part of the team for about 10 years. Mrs. Killing’s mission is to welcome everyone with love as they enter to the dining.
Mrs. Killings is originally from Tallahassee, she moved to Ocala for several years, but still found her way back to the capital city and began her employment at FSU in 1974. When she first started, she worked at one of the first bagel shops on campus, the first Starbucks, and even the salad bar and the desserts down at the Union. Throughout her nearly 40 years employed at FSU, Mrs. Killings estimates she’s given out tens of thousands of hugs and many students claim that her smile is contagious making them feel like they are home. She has been the cashier at Suwannee since summer of 2006. A typical day for Mrs. Killings begins at 4:00am before arriving at the campus by 5:30am, Monday through Friday, for an eight-hour shift. She is a 64 years old strong lady who is always devoting herself to others.
Food
Suwannee Room is one of the twenty-five dining halls in Florida State University. It’s located in the east campus and it is usually open every day, making it easier for students who live at the dorms to go there. From Monday through Friday, they serve the three main meals, but from Saturday and Sundays, they include a brunch in the mornings. The food from Suwannee Room changes daily. The Seminole Dining website has a calendar with the food they are going to be serving for the day. They include the nutrients of each food online, and in the place itself. Suwannee Room contains different kinds of food. The pizza, pasta, and salad bars are available at any time. At the entrance of the room, they have two separate food stations. The first one, at the left, has the grill marks, wellness bar, a station mainly for bread and a pizzeria. The other one, at the right, has pasta, deserts and two stations that are more likely to change its menu depending on the chef. They also include a table with drinks and cereals. Suwannee Room recognizes the variety of the students across campus and has included in their menu some vegetarian and vegan options. The cookies in this dining hall are very recognized and acclaimed by the students. These food stations are made for the people to serve themselves, but some of them are served by the staff. They also have a cleaning system in which the students have to clean the used table and put them in a rotary station that leads to the main kitchen.

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu