Major renovations made this summer to the Hoya Court in Leavey Center will provide students returning to campus over the weekend with an array of new dining options.

The new Hoya Court, which is expected to open next week, will include Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC Express stations, as well as Subway and Aromi d’Italia Gelato stands. All vendors will accept payment from students’ debit dollars accounts.

The project’s completion was postponed in 2003 while the group focused on the opening of the Leo J. O’Donovan, S.J., Dining Hall until an agreement was reached earlier this year.

Margie Bryant, associate vice president of auxiliary services, said that students had expressed an interest in finding brand name vendors to replace the previous occupants, and that the small amount of available space had been an issue in deciding which vendors would be able to open.

“That limited some of the vendors that could come in,” Bryant said.

Eamonn Carr (COL ’06), the Student Association’s secretary for housing and facilities, said that many different ideas were considered for how Hoya Court should be renovated, and that some administrators involved in the planning had considered including less informal restaurants instead.

No exact date has been set for the opening of the new Hoya Court, but Bryant said the university expects it will open next week. Only Pizza Hut, Subway and Aromi d’Italia Gelato will open immediately, with the other two vendors following in the coming weeks.

“We’re pushing,” Bryant said.

The Darnall cafeteria, which was closed at the end of the last academic year, could also see significant changes in the near future. While the university is considering replacing the cafeteria with a restaurant, administrators say a variety of options are being considered.

“We have quite a few vendors that are interested in the space,” Bryant said.

Bryant said that the new vendor will be a brand name. The university is also exploring obtaining a liquor license for the space, which would allow alcohol to be sold on the premises.

The Darnall cafeteria had suffered from lower patronage after the opening of O’Donovan Hall in 2003, and Carr said it was important that the replacement vendor be distinct from other venues on campus.

“We need to give it a unique identity,” he said. “We would not rule out an idea in advance of hearing it.”

No date is in place for the reopening of the Darnall space, though Carr said that the university hoped to have the new restaurant ready by the end of the academic year.

Carr also noted that the new vendors coming to campus are adding increased competition to dining services, which will advance the university’s hopes to offer better meal options for students.