Emory University Hospital Cafeteria

They no longer give Emory med/​graduate students the 20% discount. Kinda disappointed. Food quality still the same, but hard to justify the prices now…

Crazy to think I would be saying this, but my favorite french fries are the ones at work. I can get a serving for ninety some cents with my employee discount and many a times these greasy gems have been the saving grace to a stressful day. I think they are coated in a batter because they are extra crispy and perfectly soft in the middle. I always sprinkle the cajun seasoning they have to the side of the grill on them for an extra punch. When I worked night shift, the cafeteria reopens from 2−4am and they put out a cart of all the greasy foods your heart could desire. No wonder people on nights tend to gain weight. I had my share of wings, breakfast, and mac and cheese at steeply discounted prices. Salad bar during the day is also pretty decent and cheaper than Cox next door.

I work at Emory, not at the hospital, but I eat here all the time for lunch because it’s reasonably priced and they have folks working there that can COOK. (In contrast to the student dining place, Cox Hall, which costs more and tends to put out stuff that has nice colorful presentation but tastes like sauteed Kleenex, if you know what I mean.) The sandwiches are really cheap if I’m feeling cheap, and some of the meat n 3 stuff is surprisingly good. Someone (s) are from New Orleans — shrimp po-​boys, jambalaya and other good stuff shows up on the menu regularly. They’re not so good at asian type dishes which they try from time to time, but it’s passable. Salad bar is nothing to get excited about, but it’s pretty fresh and if you’re on a diet, it’s a good thing. New dishes show up all the time. I need to get their recipe for creamed spinach, it was wonderful the other day. The staff are down-​home friendly. I agree about the odd hours — they close up at 10 a.m. and I can never get over there in time to get the cheese grits when I’m craving them. And often, my meetings don’t get done until after 3:30 p.m., I’m starving and they’re closed until 5. But, compared to every other hospital cafeteria I’ve experienced (quite a few), this is a place I can actually look forward to eating in.
Unlike some of my co-​workers, I don’t mind if occasionally someone near me is attached to an IV tower or wearing a mask. It’s just part of the scene.

It is pretty good for a hospital.

The food: Fair to middlin’. There’s a grill station (where you get your burgers), a meat-​and-​three station (where’s there’s also something like lasagna), a salad bar (eww), and a bunch of cold grab-​and-​go stuff. The stuff is reasonably priced (no nursing student discount) and the fries have an interesting tempura aspect to them.
The hours: Weird. If you’re working night shift or staying overnight with a loved one, the cafeteria has some random stuff in a heating cabinet that you can buy. (This is why I had eggrolls for dinner one night during my senior practicum.) Lame. When I was on day shift, I found myself going a few buildings down to the student dining area, which had equally bizarre hours but better food.
The space: Pretty ugly. The cafeteria proper is tiled, but the dining room is carpeted, which seems to be in keeping with this healthcare system’s general indifference to infection control.