District House will reopen its doors for student dining on Monday morning after a summer of renovations, debuting five new meal vendors in the building’s basement food court.

The new dining options will open for business on Monday at 11 a.m. and include DH Pizza & Pasta Co., Crisp, True Burger, The Halal Shack and D.C. Taco House – all of which are operated by Chartwells Higher Education, an on-campus food service provider. The new vendors will accept GWorld dining dollar payments and will operate seven days a week with varying hours depending on the restaurant.

In the newly remodeled food court, students can purchase their food at kiosks sprinkled throughout the basement, but returning students will recognize the same chair and table setup in the basement, which officials seemingly did not alter.

Student Association President Christian Zidouemba said District House’s new dining options offer a solution to the University’s long problem with campus food insecurity, while fostering a more inclusive student body because District’s vending style simplifies budgeting for first-generation college students by allowing students to purchase meals directly rather than relying on grocery shopping.

“This new dining system gives a lot of opportunities to our students to bond together, and also come together as a community and decrease the food insecurity that we’ve had for far too long on our campus,” Zidouemba said.

Zidouemba said while he has had “concern” about District’s capacity in accommodating a high number of students without the possibility of long lines, the new vendors provide students with an on-campus dining option that may cultivate more socializing during mealtimes and a more diversified range of cuisines, like The Halal Shack and healthy options at Crisp.

“This is an initiative we should praise, and thank the George Washington University for taking the steps necessary in assuring the dining system encompasses the whole entire university and the diverse community we have on our campus,” Zidouemba said. 

Officials announced plans last August to convert the building’s basement food court into one of three all-you-can-eat dining halls on campus over this summer and remove or relocate the building’s previous vendors, Chick-fil-a, GRK Fresh Greek, Sol Mexican Grill, Kin’s Sushi and Wiseguy Pizza.

But in early April, officials announced that the all-you-can-eat dining hall in District House wouldn’t be ready to open in time for students in the fall and in June, they temporarily nixed plans to convert the basement food court and retain the previous layout of traditional vendor dining.

Associate Vice President for Business Services Seth Weinshel and Executive Director of GW Dining Douglas Frazier announced in a July email that plans had also been put on hold for the other two all-you-can-eat dining halls expected to open this fall – located in Shenkman and Thurston Halls – because of “global supply chain issues.”

The public will also be barred from the District House basement after the Advisory Neighborhood Commission approved a GW request to remove public access from the space under the new dining plan. However, some Foggy Bottom residents were concerned that the banned public access would decrease the number of affordable dining options in the neighborhood.