Are you a freshman starving through syllabus week, a sophomore addicted to Village Juice or an upperclassman draining your bank account at Trader Joe’s for overpriced microwave potstickers? Let me introduce you to the magical world of Pit dining!
Ask any of my friends — I am a Pit enthusiast. The plethora of options and limitless second helpings make it a staple for on-campus dining. Pitsgiving, at which students enjoy turkey and other Thanksgiving favorites, should be its own national holiday (it’s currently ninety days away, not that anyone’s counting). Here are some tips you should know to have a successful experience at the Pit.
Your most valuable asset is the Wake Forest Dining website. Learn it — live by it. Add the menu page to your home screen. It organizes the daily meal options by the Pit’s many serving stations. Perusing before the 6:30 dinner rush lets you make decisions preemptively, allowing for easy navigation upon arrival and revealing any ingredients that might turn your stomach.
Once you’ve done your homework, swipe in. Say hello to the employees at the register — they’re friendly! Find a booth without too many suspicious food smears and pour a glass of Tractor Sweet Tea Lemonade (seriously, it’s amazing).
Those who prefer simple dining should check out Pastabilites and Hearthstone Freshly Made Pizza on the Pit’s right side, which is also home to the beloved frozen yogurt station and Oreo toppings. If you left buttered noodles and cheese pizza in middle school, Southern Kitchen offers a reliable spread — so long as you don’t hear any faint clucking when you cut into your chicken. If pho and fajitas are more your style, join the juniors who made studying abroad in Barcelona a personality trait at the International Station.
Also, shrimp. Avoid it at all costs. I know someone who was wiped out by Pit gumbo for three days.
For those with dietary restrictions, Vegan Station and the new Allgood station are your spots. The latter serves options free of the top eight food allergens, and Vegan Station chana masala is one of my favorite Pit offerings. If none of this sounds appetizing, Performance Dining salads and Marketplace Deli sandwiches are an easy go-to. You can always stick a wrap with cheese in the panini press for a quick quesadilla!
If it happens to be between 7-11 a.m., that means Pit breakfast. Enjoy a delightful buffet of quiche, bacon, biscuits and hash browns. If a watery omelet sounds appetizing, you can build your own, although I would recommend asking for them scrambled instead. Head left for self-serve bagels, toast and waffles (ask for a fried egg for avocado toast or try chicken and waffles during dinnertime) and right for Black & Gold Grill pancakes, french toast and croissant sandwiches. Smoothies at the yogurt station are an omen for a good day.
The Pit’s finest feature is the Spice Wall. If your meat and veggies taste under-seasoned, a little BBQ rib rub usually does the trick. Seasoned salt elevates your eggs, and Greek Freak is a must-try for pasta. You can also do what I do and drown everything in cayenne pepper, but — either way — this station makes you feel like the fanciest college student in the Piedmont Triad.
Now that you have an array of slightly differently shaped plates and bowls, walk around aimlessly looking for a fork and try not to leave your bagel in the toaster. It will catch on fire.
This brings me to my final tip: indulge in the Pit Sit. Surrounded by a dozen floating conversations and a weird and unplaceable smell, I feel equipped to tackle the work I procrastinated by writing this article. I may be there right now.