As students rush through the hallways of Call Hall and down the corridor after class, the smell of ice cream lingers. Through the double doors of the Call Hall Dairy Bar, students, staff and Manhattan residents wait eagerly for their turn to order a freshly-made hamburger served on a golden bun.
Known for its homemade ice cream, Call Hall also makes breakfast and hot lunch. Located at 1530 N. Mid-Campus Dr., students can enjoy a hearty meal before heading to their next class.
Anthony Fink, manager of Call Hall Dairy Bar, said the eatery promotes goods sold by Kansas State.
“I think the dairy bar itself was imagined to help us serve ice cream in a better light — to showcase the products that the university puts forth,” Fink said.
For agricultural students and staff, Call Hall Dairy Bar is a place they can go to enjoy warm biscuits and gravy, burritos or a freshly-made hamburger.
“We try to add extra spices. We do make our own fry sauce [and] put a little extra effort in,” Fink said. “We have been using our own cheese recently, rather than purchasing.”
Many students and staff don’t realize the wide range of food that Call Hall offers. Ellie Brenneman, sophomore in psychology, said she looks forward to trying other menu items.
“I noticed that they had food last time I went and I was so excited, the person I was with tried the meatloaf but I just stuck to ice cream. I’ll definitely try the food next time,” Brenneman said.
In just over 18 months, Fink said, Call Hall Dairy Bar has doubled in sales compared to previous years and is likely due to the convenient location of the restaurant.
“This gives options so that students close by [don’t] have to trek all the way to Kramer or Derby. They can stop by here, but still have time to get back to class,” Fink said.
Breakfast is served from 9-10:30 a.m. and burgers are served for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Monday through Friday.
“Individuals from all over come here. A lot of folks come in now because they remember how easily they can grab all their meat, cheese or eggs,” Fink said.
Re-establishing the breakfast and lunch options gives hope for expansion and new ideas to come.
“Come to Call Hall,” Fink said. “It’s cheap for food that you can get on campus with a little bit of care.”
