Written by Katie Fargnoli
Call me crazy, but there are so many times that I find myself craving food from my university’s dining hall. My friends and I used to scour the menu at the beginning of each week to find out when they were serving our favorite meals and determine which new dishes we would like to try.
Tortellini with garlic cream sauce, barbeque chicken pizza, and stir-fry nights were among my favorites. It was always easy to find something to eat, as the dining hall was broken into different stations, including pizza, pasta, home-style meals, sandwiches, salad bar, Chinese and more! There was always something for everyone. Even my vegetarian roommate always found something to eat, as vegetarian and vegan dish options were always labeled and available at most stations.
Since I had such a great experience with campus food, I never understood the hatred many of my friends had for their college’s food, until I tried it myself. My friends were absolutely right! No wonder students venture off campus to seek alternative, unhealthy food options. I am very grateful that I had a positive campus dining experience.
Why can’t all campus dining halls be inviting? According to Technomic, colleges and universities are expected to see a 5.1% growth increase in the coming year. Incorporating stations and themes would not only make campus dining more inviting, but it would help C&U capture more traffic and increase sales as well.1
Now I know why my friends would be so excited to eat brunch on campus when they came to visit me! I mean, who wouldn’t want to enjoy an omelet bar, waffle bar with fruit and whipped cream, a variety of cereal, and more?
1Food Management. “Outlook 2011: Growth Returns, But…” February 2011: 28-29.
