After almost a year of construction and three weeks of serving a hungry campus, the food court will receive an official opening Friday.

The grand opening will take place at 10 a.m. with a ribbon cutting inside the doors of the south entrance of the food court in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union. The opening will also feature refreshments and brief comments from Eastern administrators.

Mark Hudson, director of University Housing and Dining, Jody Horn, director of dining, Shirley Stewart, vice president for student affairs and interim President Lou Hencken are expected to attend.

Although this is the grand opening, the food court had a “soft opening” on Jan. 31.

“The ‘soft opening’ was a huge success. Even though there was not much advertising, many people showed up,” Chad Franks, residence hall counselor, said.

“It seems to be very popular,” Franks said of the new food court, noting that even administrators have pitched in to keep Eastern’s newest dining option running well. “The first Friday, when usually most students disappear, was busy. I cleaned tables while the director of housing took out trash.”

While the food court’s bustling atmosphere seems to indicate students are already well aware of it’s existence, invitations and flyers have been circulated for the grand opening.

The remodeled facility, expanded to now host 375 customers, has a different layout, new counter tops, new flooring, new chairs and tables and reupholstered booths that have Internet connection ports for laptops.

The new food court hosts Subway and Chick-fil-A franchises, both pre-construction holdovers. A Connie’s Pizza franchise was added during the food court’s temporary stay in the basement of the union. The Panther Grille and Charleston Market, operated by the university, are new dining options.

The new food court also offers “Grab-N’ Go” items located in self-serve areas. They include fruit, prepared salads, yogurt and packaged items.