Burgers, Ice Cream, Sushi, and more! Welcome to Scranton Commons.

commons itself

Let's say you want to relax with friends in a cozy environment, or catch up before class. You quickly walk to Scranton Commons (commonly called "Commons" by students), Bloomsburg University’s only all you can eat dining hall. You see grey chairs, black tables, buffet-style tables, lamp lights, light brown wooden floors, plus red or orange chairs, instantly makes you feel comfortable. You use your student ID to swipe in and, look around. "Hello, Honey," A short elderly woman who has a black shirt, black pants, a round black hat says as she smiles. This is Chip, and she greets people who leave and enters. She smiles at you. You aren't sure where to go, as you count over twelve “stations” with options such as salads, ice cream, sushi, burgers. It's a popular location for students, "I love being here because of all the people and students I get to serve, and we have great coworkers" a short staff member with black hair says, grinning. Staff members, with their black hats, black aprons, and characteristic gold name tags serve over five hundred students each day, depending on the day and time. "Sometimes it's three hundred, sometimes it's over seven hundred! Especially during welcome week, open houses, homecoming week, or campus tours" a tall manager with short light grey hair and a red shirt states, shaking his head. Scranton Commons was founded in 1970, and it was first renovated in 1992 to allow for seven hundred more students and continues to be renovated each day. In 1991, it partnered with Aramark.

the main dining area

Commons has opened for lunch and dinner a few minutes ago, and you look to your right. You see workers wiping down counters and spraying windows. "We spray windows with window cleaner and wipe down counters with sanitizer every time we close and open," A taller staff member with brown eyes and short black hair says, smiling, "Custodians sanitize tables, sweep, vacuum, change trash bags when we close. We close twice, once after breakfast and lunch, which is 7:30am to 2pm. And once after dinner, which is 4-8pm. On weekends, we open at 10am-2pm for brunch and 4-7pm for dinner." Common's is usually busy around lunch & dinner on weekdays, and less busy during breakfast.

a waffle from the waffle bar

You walk forward and see a line of people in front of a counter with a Local Harvest sign, and decide to check it out. You take a quick glance and instantly feel at home. Savory meatloaf, hot brown gravy, seasoned corn and green beans, buttered roasted potatoes, and sometimes specials like cheese-and-onion pierogis ( There's also a waffle bar, pancakes/french toast, eggs, bacon, and sausages during breakfast.).  You watch someone take the last slice of meatloaf,  and shortly after you see a staff member open a warmer. He pulls out a brand new pan of meatloaf, and before he closes it, you take a glance of the other foods stored in the there, like potatoes and pierogis. You think for a few seconds, and decide not to get anything from here, so you leave the line and look around. Workers can use over fifteen pans of a single dish (pancakes, for examples), in four hours, depending on popularity of the dish. "We order thousands of products and ingredients each week for our chefs to make the all of the different dishes they do." The marketing manager says as he looks at local harvest.

 You decide not to get anything from here, so you leave the line and look around. A brown sign with fire and IGNITE in white text catches your eye. You hear sizzling and a beeping noise coming from one of the fryers.  You see bright orange and blue flames erupt from a grill. The smell of fire and hot vegetable oil fills the area. Behind the counter, you see small metal containers filled with crispy chicken patties, grill-cooked burgers, juicy turkey burgers, hotdogs, and veggie burgers (and gluten free buns & waffles stored in the fridge). "I love ignite because while food at commons isn't bad, it's seriously hit or miss. When I order a burger or chicken sandwich, I know what to expect. Every. Single. Time," a short student with short brown hair says, and smiles and laughs shortly after. You want to explore a little more, so you walk over to a place that has a paper sign stating that they don't serve eight common allergens: eggs, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat. You see a TRUE BALANCE sign above the station, and you notice steaming hot rotisserie chicken, baked & seasoned cauliflowers, baked potatoes, and corn. To the left of true balance, you see a brown sign that says PIAZZA, and the scent of cheese, garlic, and pepperoni fills your nose. You see slices of pepperoni pizza and cheese pizza on a cutting-board, with cut garlic bread, cornbread squares, cheddar biscuits, and buttery garlic rolls next to it in silver, round bowls. The food in these stations is usually cooked behind the counter or in commons very own kitchen. Some stations, such as the ones mentioned (Local Harvest, True Balance, PIAZZA, IGNITE), have fryers or mini ovens behind the counter.

        A tall girl with long blond hair and bright pink lipstick walks with a three friends to the Uncommon Scoop. She looks over the ice cream counter,  analyzing the choices and trying to make a decision. There were lots of good flavors today, including pumpkin spice latte, cookie dough, marshmallow mud, & the classic vanilla.

“Hey, can I have pumpkin spice latte in a cone? Thank you,” the girl says, smiling.

The worker behind the counter has short grey hair and is much older than the older staff members. picks up a cone and frowns, “We’re out of pumpkin spice latte,” the worker looks down at the ice cream counter, "We have other options, however."

“I swore there was some here earlier,” The girl sighed as she looked over the other flavors. Her face took on a sad expression.

The worker smiles, “It’s a very popular flavor, and it’s limited edition,”

“It’s alright,” The girl and her friends walk to the soft serve machine, filling up their cones with chocolate and vanilla swirl, and adding sprinkles. They leave commons, laughing and eating soft serve. 

You're in the mood for dessert, and you have a sweet tooth, so you run over to Keystone Baking Co. and Uncommon Scoop.  You smell warm chocolate chip cookies . You see two parts, an area filled with various cake slices, cookies, cupcakes, and other small desserts and a ice cream counter, with flavors such as chocolate chip, vanilla, cherry vanilla swirl, your mouth waters as you look over the flavors, wondering what you should choose.  "All of our desserts are made in a bakery underneath commons, and we have a woman who makes all of our eye ice cream by hand. All her," The older staff member with short grey hair says, "All I do is get it from the freezer and scoop it," He laughs. To your left you hear a soft rumbling sound, and you see soft serve, with chocolate, vanilla, and chocolate-vanilla swirl. You poke your head before the machine and you see a sundae bar, featuring toppings like whipped cream, chocolate syrup, oreo pieces, chocolate chips and sprinkles. Many students go to Keystone. Backing Co. and Uncommon Scoop when they finish their meals, and you'll often see people walk out of commons with either ice cream or soft serve ice cream. 

You walk down and to the left and peek over the counter, watching a short woman roll the sushi by hand. You see four types of sushi, tuna, spicy crab, vegetable, and California. You see a bright bottle of orange sauce (spicy mayo), wasabi, and small soy sauce packets in a black container filled with ice next to the sushi. A sign above it says SABI. You grab a few spicy crab rolls and turn around. You see some sort of salad bar with glass windows and white lights around the rims of the glass. There is a large brown sign above it that says GRAZE.  You see large containers of greens with black spoons, such as spinach, iceberg lettuce, and spring mix. To the left you see toppings such as shredded carrots, tomatoes, ham, chicken, croutons, so much more. Next to these toppings are bottles with different types of salad dressing. Italian, Ranch, Balsamic vinegar, Thousand Island, etc. You even see potato salad! A staff member with bright red hair and glasses is pushing a steel cart that has grey containers filled with spring mix and lettuce, "we store all the greens and toppings in a specialized salad fridge located in our kitchen," she says as she refills the croutons, "We also stock up on things during the day, such as these croutons," she chuckles. There’s also fresh fruit and granola, and yogurt available during breakfast on weekdays and brunch on weekends. 

Commons also has many types of "specials". They have specials for valentine's day, finals week, Halloween, and more. During these specials, they serve certain foods, such as red valentines day cookies, cheesecake, or cake slices at Keystone Baking Co. These specials are also popular with non-students.  "Our team just recently heard about a group of friends who come back to enjoy Late Night at the Commons every semester, even if they no longer have a meal plan," the marketing manager says, with his eyes widened, and he grinned, "Our favorite part of providing the dining program, which includes Chick-Fil-A, Qdoba, and the Husky Lounge, is the enhancement of the student experience and campus culture. From Late Night at the Commons, to Family-Style Thanksgiving, and everything in between, we love creating memories that Huskies will cherish for years to come."