The thing about dining halls is you have to do them right. You can’t just walk into a dining hall on any given day and expect to be served something you actually like. It takes planning. It takes patience. It takes a certain amount of devotion to figuring out where you will get the best food for your precious meal swipe (or $9 equivalent).

We all know Alabama’s four main dining halls and have our own opinions on them. We’ve all heard Lakeside is the worst, and Bryant is the best. At least, that’s what I heard as a freshman. Now, I would throw in a few modifiers. While some people turn their noses up at the thought of eating in a campus dining hall or anywhere that isn’t represented by a giant, illiterate cow, there are a number of good reasons to stop into your local dining hall before standing in line at Subway.

My favorite reason to eat at a dining hall is a little something Lakeside Dining has dubbed Tender Tuesday. Every Tuesday, Lakeside redeems itself by serving up some of the best chicken fingers you can find basically anywhere. They’re so good they might even make up for all the nights of mystery meat I was served my freshman year when it was too cold to walk to Burke, and Lakeside was entirely too convenient.

Outside of the fried chicken tenders, Lakeside offers baked tenders, which I’ve never tried, because who would choose baked over fried? And this year, upon suggestion from a student, Lakeside has started serving its signature “Bama sauce,” which is their take on Zaxby’s Zax sauce. Although the sauce doesn’t quite achieve the same tangy taste as Zax sauce, it’s a valiant attempt, and I still eat it every time I attend Tender Tuesday.

Recently, Lakeside has also significantly stepped up its mac-and-cheese game and started putting out some pretty respectable desserts as well. Last week they had some pretty delicious Oreo blondies, lemon cheesecake bars and peanut butter Rice Krispies treats.

The other thing I love about Tender Tuesday is it seems to be one of the only times I can go to a dining hall and see people who are not students. Every time I have visited Lakeside for Tender Tuesday, I have seen professors and other guests galore, all chowing down on plate after plate of fried chicken tenders. I’ve even seen groups of construction workers join the inevitable wrap-around line.

Although many students do not view Lakeside as a go-to place for lunch because it’s not located around most classes like Bryant or Fresh Foods, its definitely worth the extra walk and the couple extra minutes in line. My only regret is that I spent the first half of my freshman year completely unaware of the brilliance that is Lakeside Dining’s Tender Tuesday.