As the semester began students have noticed changes to the food options around campus. Some of these changes are quite shocking and affect students’ original dining habits and experiences.
One thing the Dining Commons (D.C.) changed this year is the reusable takeout containers. Instead of the old Styrofoam containers, we are now using Dispatch Goods containers. These containers are completely reusable and much better for the environment. Instead of the D.C. washing these containers, they actually get sent back to Dispatch Goods where they deep clean the containers and then send them back for us to reuse. This helps the D.C. save on water usage and general waste. There are cans located all around campus in McInnis, Walton, the D.C. and all the residence halls. You can bring your empty takeout containers and place them in the bins to be picked up during the week and returned for cleaning. When a student wants food to go, they are allowed to use one meal swipe and leave their ID at the front while they get two reusable containers to grab food. They have around 20 minutes to fill their takeout containers and grab their ID.
The Dining Commons has also made lots of changes to their menu and the station options. All the stations will soon have new monitors to show what options are available for each meal. The Performance station that is focused on athletes will continue to be a high protein, healthy option. The Grill station will now have a lot of special options including tacos. The Simply Free station will now have more options, including gluten free chicken tenders, fries and pasta. For these options you would need to request them from the staff member at the station, and it will take a few minutes to be made. You can also come in the morning and request a gluten-free sandwich from the Simply Free station and schedule a pickup time for later in the afternoon. They have a special fridge specifically for gluten free items in which they store toppings and will store your sandwich until the pickup time you requested. The Grown station is a new addition to the D.C. this year with lots of plant-based options. Certain days of the week there will be Chef Sanchez’s own menu available, but there will also be lots of options for vegans. Mindful sandwiches, healthier alternatives and different salads will also be offered here. Overall, the D.C. will be offering more customizable, personalized dishes, or ways you can tailor your food to your individual needs.
Breakfast at the D.C. has also been upgraded with new options available for everyone. At the You Cook station you can now make your own omelets with a variety of ingredients. There will also be a smoothie option at the pizza station along with breakfast sandwiches, along with making a second line at the Performance station during breakfast to help create less chaos. Simply Free will also now have vegan and gluten free options during breakfast as well. All these options will be made to order, but they now have gluten free sausages, sweet potato pancakes and Just Egg (a vegan option for eggs).
Eagles Nest wasn’t left out either, with a few new menu changes they have increased students options. They have brought back burrito bowls due to student demand and they are now available with chicken or shrimp. Acai bowls are also now available and soon will be getting a larger bowl option to include more fruit. The grab and go food has not been left out though, as they now have more options especially with the sushi containers. The other pastry/snack options have also increased in variety. Another new change is the kiosk is now up and running right outside Eagles Nest. This now allows students to place their orders there instead of waiting in the commonly long line for the registers.
Breezeway has a lot of menu changes as well. The goal was to increase the flavor options, so students feel they have more choices and it’s not the same thing over and over again. New wing options have been added along with street tacos, smash burgers, loaded nachos, loaded fries and a big mac quesadilla. Breezeway also now has a cheese sauce machine to provide a bit more variety than regular shredded cheese.
The swipe policy has also changed at all of our campus meal locations. At both Eagles Nest and Breezeway one meal swipe is equal to $9.00. You are also now only allowed to use one meal swipe at a time at both of these locations, and the rest of the cost must be covered by cash, card, or flex dollars. If you would like to eat in the D.C. and then take another meal to go, you can ask to swipe twice and get the containers as well. Students can no longer go to the D.C., eat food and then get food to go all in one meal swipe, which puts a limitation on how much food a student can get on one meal swipe. When asked about the reasons behind this change, Lofland did not provide a comment.
If you’re interested in providing feedback on the Dining Commons you can use the tablet that has the Happy or Not app on it. This allows students to rate their experience that day and make suggestions for what they would like to see improve. Lofland has also asked students to join the culinary council. They meet once a month to discuss the food options on campus and give suggestions. Additionally, there are comment cards where students can submit reviews. Jesse personally reads all the comment cards. She said that she plans on adding the meals you request into the menu and she takes all your comments into consideration.
If you would like to adjust your meal plan after hearing about these changes, use the google form linked. Just remember that first-years are required to have the 21-meal swipe plan.
