New Restaurant Brings Fresh, Casual, ‘Flavor-First’ Menu to Montrone Hall

Freshens, a nationally known casual dining restaurant that serves acai and rice bowls, blended smoothies and handcrafted sandwiches, among other items, is now open at The University of Scranton.

Freshens opened Monday, Nov. 2, on the first floor of Montrone Hall, offering a menu that caters to a variety of tastes. Its signature items include more than a dozen smoothie flavors, including Wild Strawberry, Orange Sunrise, Tropical Therapy, Peach on the Beach and PB&J, as well as chef-created artisan melts like Chicken Bacon Ranch and Buffalo Chicken, plus various salads and "pocket dipper" tortillas.

Founded in 1985, Freshens has more than 255 locations, including 25 airports and 200 colleges and universities.

"Food with a Purpose is our commitment to provide guests better choices through responsible sourcing of the ingredients used in our recipes," Freshens says on its website. "Our guests can choose from a variety of ingredients to create vegetarian, gluten free and vegan lifestyle options. We want to set an example for others to follow."

Hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday; and it is closed on Saturday and Sunday.

The University of Scranton is No. 38 in the country and No. 2 in Pennsylvania in the 2027 Best College Food in America rankings by Niche. The University itself was ranked by Niche as a top-25 Best Catholic College in America, and has also been recognized in recent national rankings by U.S. News and World Report, TIME Magazine and The Princeton Review.