A new design for BC's Eagle's Nest

Boston College Dining Services formally celebrated the new-look McElroy Commons eatery on October 9.

New features to the Eagle’s Nest include cosmetic upgrades, such as new flooring, ceilings, lighting, furniture, and design layouts to improve accessibility and traffic flow. Above all else, according to some BC students, the greatest change to the popular dining destination is the aesthetic improvements, which invite a bright and welcoming atmosphere. The Eagle’s Nest facelift was part of a capital project that also included a two-phase renovation of McElroy kitchen.

“The Eagle’s Nest renovation brings a brighter and fresher look to one of BC’s most beloved dining halls,” said Sydney Eckhardt ’26, a double major in history and economics. “I was hesitant to see one of my favorite places on campus change, but now I spend more time eating lunch and doing work there than ever before.”  

Lucas Geromini, a double major in Global Public Health and the Common Good and Islamic Civilizations and Societies, agreed. “The new updates make the Nest feel brighter and more welcoming. It’s become one of my favorite spots to grab a meal or study with friends. The new atmosphere and the updated menu options have made a huge difference.”

Geromini pointed to the new “Revolve” station, located in the center of the new space, which features a rotating weekly concept menu where food is prepared on-site. This allows Eagle’s Nest dining staff to maintain the balance of their dining traditions while also serving as a hub for culinary innovation. So far this semester, the new station has featured create-your-own items like poke bowls and burrito bowls.

Director of Dining Services Elizabeth Emery said that the redesign may inspire students to try stations they didn’t line up for before the renovation.

“The ideal approach is that you want the lines to be fairly evenly distributed at lunchtime so that you can get people through as quickly as possible,” Emery said. “So, we’re thinking about the staffing, speed of service, and the layout. We don’t want all the popular stations on one side. We like to call it ‘menu-engineering,’ and it can be challenging to find the right balance.”

In addition to the renovation and redesign, the Eagle’s Nest is standing tall on its sustainability values and zero-waste goals through reusable dishware that can be dropped off after a meal at the new recycling, compost, and dish station added during the renovation. Emery credits McElroy Commons General Manager Jacob Citron for the idea of enhancing the Green2Go reusable container program, which rolled out in 2021.

“So far, we’ve seen that Jacob’s idea has really reduced the amount of disposable things we were selling there. We are striving for zero waste and it makes so much sense to do this because most students sit and eat there. They don’t take their meals to go that often.”

Emery said she had been gratified by the whispers she heard among Dining Services frontline workers and resident assistants upon their return to campus in August—before the Eagle’s Nest doors were even open for business.

“I could hear the rumblings like, ‘Did you see this?’ ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah!’” she said. “That was just so exciting. I was there early this morning chatting with our employees who have been working at the Nest for a while, and they love it. To hear the student reaction and then our frontline team get so excited about it was really rewarding.”