Most Tulane students who find themselves trapped in the monotony of the Bruff Commons salad and pizza bar know about a hidden gem located just across Freret Street: Loyola’s Orleans Room. Lovingly referred to as “Luff” by many Tulane students, the Orleans Room is completely available to Tulane students with a meal plan and often provides a much needed getaway from Tulane’s dining options.

Many Loyola students, however, feel that Bruff is a better, though sometimes uncomfortable, option than their beloved Orleans Room.

In this collaboration between The Hullabaloo and The Loyola Maroon, student writers tease out this dining hall rivalry and attempt to resolve the age-old question: Bruff or Luff?

Tulane’s dining options provide dependability, convenience 

BY SKYE RAY

LOYOLA MAROON CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Tulane University — some may call it the Ivy League of the South, and it may be the No. 1 party school in the country, but to Loyola students, it’s a campus full of endless possibilities for food (even though it may consist of squeezing through Bruff’s dining hall or waiting in long lines at City Diner).

In terms of dining halls, our schools should just switch. Tulane students love the Orleans Room, and Loyola students find Bruff more convenient. I guess we both enjoy getting the best of both worlds. On Tulane’s dining website it states, “At Bruff Commons, you will find more than food — you will find a community built around friends and classmates, charismatic chefs and delicious meals.”

That, however, is not the case. 

Walking into Bruff feels like walking into at your high school cafeteria. Everyone is wearing Tulane gear, and the dining hall is clearly divided. You have the table of athletes, international students and a sprinkle of Loyola kids. Although it may seem a little uncomfortable at first, the food makes up for it. Bruff has lots of different sections, including pasta, pizza, a sandwich/salad bar, a large dessert table and more. 

Yes, it sounds similar to the OR. However, there is a wider variety of types of foods. Another thing to note is that if you have food allergies, this is the place to be. Along with a gluten-free section, Bruff Commons also offers a whole fridge of almond, soy and lactose-free milk. There is no doubt that going to Bruff is a great way to experience a different atmosphere and save Wolfbucks.

And when one is in the mood to splurge, Tulane’s Lavin-Bernick Center is the perfect place to go, with a wide range of vendors that produce a “global menu,” including Star Ginger for Asian cuisine and Al Fuego for your knock-off Felipes/Chipotle fix, as well as Panera, WOW Cafe and Zatarains. Though they are pricey, they definitely offer a lot of flavor.

For late night, City Diner was always the reliable option. They changed their menu, however, by taking away seafood dishes and notable New Orleans dishes. Now, City Diner is a basic diner with breakfast food, burgers and overpriced chicken fingers. Not much of a variety, but it still gets the job done after a long night at The Boot. With a funny staff, comfortable seats to watch Saints games and a large pancake that can feed four for $6, City Diner never disappoints even with a smaller menu.

Overall, while there aren’t many options to get a good bang for your buck, Tulane is always reliable. 

Thank you Tulane for making sure that everybody eats. We can always depend on you.

Loyola’s Orleans Room offers variety, ambience

BY KATE PARKER

TULANE HULLABALOO STAFF REPORTER

The Orleans Room, located in Loyola University’s Danna Center and commonly referred to by Tulane students as “Luff,” is an attractive dining option to those seeking to escape the monotony of Bruff Commons. Located just past the always-buzzing Starbucks, the Orleans Room atmosphere is more ambient and café-like than the cafeterias that come to the minds of most and is aesthetically pleasing enough that scenes for a major motion picture were filmed there during the 2016-17 academic year. Its front section has comfortable seating with plenty of room for groups of all sizes, and the back area near the grill is perfect for students to grab a quick bite while they listen to music or work on assignments.

“The fact that it’s even called ‘Luff’ by most of the Tulane population is indicative of its importance to us,” Henry Greenblatt, a Tulane sophomore and frequenter of the Orleans Room, said. “We adopted it as our dining hall to the point where we named it after our own official dining hall. It’s part of our family.”

Though the two dining halls are both Sodexo-run, the differences are certainly discernable in both the feel and the food. A commonly-cited reason among Tulanians who prefer Luff to Bruff is the consistent rotation of different dishes that Loyola’s spot offers. While the two cafeterias are similar in their staple items — large salad bar, burgers, potatoes, sandwich bar, pizzas — Luff certainly provides more in terms of variety. Instead of resorting to another unsatisfying salad, vegetarians can explore more interesting dishes, like Luff’s African curry with peanut sauce.

Tulane students do have qualms about Luff, typically limited to small issues like the dining hall’s limited hours, a routine lack of silverware and a lack of alternative milks beyond soy (Bruff has several varieties of coconut, almond, and rice milks in addition to the Silk soy milk machines). Options like the ever-abundant dessert bar and featured daily specials like fondue bars and ice cream sundae bars, however, surely compensate.

To read more coverage from The Loyola Maroon, visit their website.