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Barry Bosley, associate vice president of administration, and Kevin Dean, general manager of dining services, applied the results of student feedback to select the changes to F&M’s dining facilities this semester.
“The feedback from students informed us that we were not meeting their needs,” Bosley said. “So we began exploring other options.”
Café 1787’s Panini Junction replaced many old paninis with newer, more diverse offerings. The new sandwiches include a smoked turkey and brie croissant, baja beef in a wheat pita, chicken and spinach naan, Portobello rustico, eggplant caprese ciabatta, and a hummus and tabbouleh wrap. For the first time, Panini Junction will also serve a Greek salad and an apple cheddar and walnut salad. In addition, after the toaster oven warms the sandwiches, cold lettuce, tomatoes, and onions are available.
Another new offering is potato chips made at Café 1787, with lemon pepper, sea salt, and light barbeque seasonings.
The Slice of Life Italian food station will now offer a pizzicato, the Italian panini, and a rotating selection of pasta.
“We moved the Italian sub to the Italian themed area because it was the best seller,” Dean said. “We wanted to add more variety to the sandwich offerings.”
An updated salad bar now offers shredded steak, chicken, hummus, and more options.
“The hummus in the Café 1787 salad bar is a nice addition for when I just want a snack and I don’t want to wait in line,” said Katherine Blair ’15.
Salsa Rico added a new salsa verde to their salsa bar.
In the Life Sciences and Philosophy building, Flavors has added a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, as well as a selection of flavored water.
In the dining hall, the changes include a gluten-free zone, improved bread and cheese station, a larger selection for the omelet and pancake bar, and more variety in the themed grill, which will feature Indian, Mexican, Greek, and Chinese food.
The gluten-free zone is an expansion of the gluten-free offerings of KIVO.
This area was specifically added to serve the needs of the growing gluten-free population of F&M.
“We were trying to accommodate that over in KIVO,” Bosley said. “We considered the demand and the growing need, and we decided to do a full-blown station to address the needs of the gluten-free population on campus. The student Food Committee was a part of this discussion as well.”
The gluten-free section is a welcome addition for many students.
“I am very excited about the new gluten-free options, but I wish there was a better bread selection,” gluten-free student Sofy Maxman ’16 said.
The suggestion board in the dining hall, the Dining Services Twitter and Facebook, the F&M Dining App, and the Diplomatic Congress Food Committee provided Bosley and the Dean with information concerning student opinions about the dining options available. Students attend committee meetings and offer opinions about the meals.
Ndifreke Ekpa ’15, the chair of the Food Committee, meets with students biweekly in order to gauge student attitudes about food on campus.
“As a committee, students present concerns to management staff and then work diligently with the staff to make their ideas a reality. The committee generally has seven-to-10 students who contribute, but is open to any and all students who are interested. These changes should serve as an example, showing that students’ voices are being heard and that they can change things on campus if they so choose,” Ekpa said.
Questions? Email Abigail at aquint@fandm.edu.