The outdoor seating area for Littlefield Patio Cafe is under construction and will receive a new awning and increased seating. 

The patio, which has been closed since the beginning of the academic school year, is set to open this summer, said Josue Rodriguez, assistant director of marketing and communications for University Housing and Dining. The new patio is the second part of a two phase renovation of the Littlefield Patio Cafe. The first phase updated seating inside the cafe and renovated the serving line last fall, Rodriguez said.

“We’re really excited to increase outdoor spaces for students where they can gather and have additional resources for them to engage and do special events,” Rodriguez said. “This is an important area … so we wanted to include that area again for students.”

The project was set to occur before the COVID-19 pandemic, but was delayed until recently. The patio will be available to all members of the UT community, Rodriguez said.

Carlie Morgan, a 2021 radio-television-film grad, said she’s happy the patio is being renovated because it was somewhat outdated. 

“It was just tables and chairs,” Morgan said. “The canopy that they’ve already started looks really nice.”

Vivien Jones, a neuroscience freshman and Littlefield resident, said she is excited to see the changes.

“I love outdoor dining,” Jones said. “It looks like it’s going to be a pretty cool design, too.”

Emily Koller, a radio-television-film senior, said the renovations may cause her to spend more time on campus. 

“I’ll go somewhere on campus for (online classes),” Koller said. “So I might come here once there’s less construction.”

Rodriguez said he is ready for the student body to utilize the new patio.

“The goal of this area is to create spaces for students on campus to gather and to engage, especially in an outdoor space,” Rodriguez said.