For better or worse, the Dining Services team knows that they will always be on the minds (and stomachs) of the almost two thousand students that eat breakfast, lunch and dinner on campus every day. By senior year, eating in the dining halls begins to seem a little tiring. Fortunately, just in time for the 2010-2011 school year, Dining Services changed food providers, giving students some small changes to relish in as they dig in for another meal in Harris, Smith, Jane Addams, Freeman, or Knowlton.
The Director of Dining Services, Ingrid Bushwack, said the decision to change food vendors was based on making sure that the school is “getting the most variety/options, good/dependable service [and] the best pricing for the volume that we buy.” Many other departments at this school can make substantialchanges without any financial consequence but Dining Services is feeding in bulk; this gives every decision a very specific cost.
This monetary concern stands in the way of many suggestions students make on Napkin Notes and pin to the dining walls, which are carefully read and considered by Dining Services. “Sometimes students might see quick changes because the suggestion was a great idea and something that could easily be changed or added,” said Bushwack. “Other times, the suggestions are more complex. We have to always weigh the ramifications of making a change and the impact it can have on the department.”
Dining Services sent out a survey to the school several weeks ago, asking questions concerning the quality and sustainability of the food served in our dining halls. They are still waiting for the results enthusiastically.
“We receive consistent feedback from a variety of small, vocal groups that may not represent the majority of the students,” Bushwack says.
Ryan Callahan ’12, a member of the Student Government Association’s Dining Services committee, acknowledges the difficult situation that Dining Services is in, as they are motivated by a profit.
“We may forget that it’s hard to make large quantities of food and keep it warm and of a consistent quality,” Callahan notes.
Callahan’s largest achievement as a member of the committee has been improving the chicken fingers. He advocated for all-white meat chicken breasts and said his key to success was being persistent and bringing up the idea a number of times. His suggestion for Dining Services is to “eliminate dishes that are less popular and to improve middling dishes.”
While it would be virtually impossible to satisfy every student’s palate, there are some small changes that Dining Services has made to improve the quality of food and the satisfaction students derive from it. Maisie Sargent ’11 is lactose intolerant, making her limited dining experience more difficult than most. She noticed that the wraps this year are now lactose free, when there were previously only two bread options for those who can’t eat dairy.
Peter Collins ’11 would like to see pesto in the sandwich bar every day, instead of just once or twice a week. Jennifer Saner ’13 wants to bring burrito night back, and Kate Weymouth ’11 misses the honey mustard salad dressing. Brian Dell’Erario ’12 notes that “you still have to be creative sometimes and bring out your inner chef.”
While these changes are small, they might make a world of difference to someone who knows that their voice was heard by Dining Services and their suggestion was incorporated into the dining halls. As our school emphasizes the importance of student involvement and participation, this notion should also be extended to the quality and quantity of food we eat on campus every day.
