If you want to dine in the Founder's Room, you're too late.

As of yesterday, the restaurant in the HUB has been renamed Coaly's Cafe partly to increase its appeal to students.

The Founder's Room was renovated two years ago, and HUB officials wanted to create a name that would match the new contemporary atmosphere, said Dave Gingher, manager of the HUB Eateries.

"We felt the name 'Founder's Room' sounded kind of stuffy . . . like an official meeting place," he said, adding that the purpose of the name change was to encourage more students to eat at the restaurant.

But the committee that was formed to search for an appropriate name wanted to avoid the usual references to the Nittany Lion, Gingher said.

In fact, Coaly was a mule -- and the University's first mascot.

"Coaly was a fixture at Penn State for 36 years," Gingher said. "He was one of the mules that hauled stone from the campus quarry to the (original) Old Main building."

Coaly died in 1893, and his remains are housed in the Agriculture Building.

The committee decided on the name Coaly's Cafe because "we found it interesting" and because it says, "We've got history and it's Penn State history," Gingher said.

Students agree that the new name changes the image of the restaurant.

"The Founder's Room looks too expensive, like elegant dining," said Neha Shah (freshman-business).

And Annie Smith (freshman-division of undergraduate studies) said, "(Coaly's Cafe) definitely sounds more casual, like a place where students would go."

Although the new name brings other changes, such as new place mats, napkins and an awning soon to be erected at the cafe's outside entrance, the other decor and the food will remain unchanged, Gingher said.

"It's a gourmet deli with fancy salads and desserts," he said.

Some students aren't aware the restaurant is for them and that they may use A La Board or Diner's Club points to pay, he added.

The various sandwich, soup and salad combinations range in price from $3.99 to $6.49.

"It's definitely upscale," Gingher said.