Today marks the deadline for University students to downgrade or drop their meal plans for the fall semester. With the many positive adjustments that University Dining has made to accommodate renovations at Newcomb Hall this year, it might seem that this date would pass with relatively little action from disappointed students. Those who regularly get to-go boxes from Newcomb Dining Hall, however, face a situation in which they must ask themselves whether the dining plans for which they signed contracts in the spring are producing the best values they can get for their money.
This question is pertinent because of a change to Newcomb's operational structure that has made it impossible for students to use their to-go boxes in Newcomb Dining Hall. Rather, they are siphoned off to a separate area that used to be the Game Room and now serves as a dedicated to-go location. Although this set-up is a logical attempt to reduce congestion in Newcomb Dining Hall caused by ongoing construction work, it has a number of deficiencies that thus far have prevented it from measuring up to the other changes that Dining has initiated on Grounds. To ensure that to-go boxes remain a palatable option for students who live and work near Central Grounds, as well as for those with special dietary considerations, it is necessary that Dining alter the present arrangement to improve information availability, culinary variety and policy consistency.
The most obvious flaw with the Newcomb To-Go Room is that it fails to include accurate labels and nutritional information alongside its food offerings. Students encounter a menu of options if they access the To-Go Room through its outside entrance, but once they are inside they must ask Dining attendants for specifics about each dish if they are to avoid unpleasant surprises. This can cause delays in the service line and lead to students getting food they do not want if employees misidentify dishes. Making matters worse, students are powerless to plan in advance what they would like to obtain from the To-Go Room - whereas the menus for Newcomb Dining Hall are posted online weekly, the To-Go Room's online menu has remained blank since the beginning of the year.
Furthermore, the options from which students may choose in the To-Go Room are severely constrained. Although this may be a deliberate design meant to accelerate service, it creates problems for students whose dietary needs are not accommodated adequately. There are several potential remedies to this situation. For example, the To-Go Room's standby entree could be something other than pizza, which is a dish that excludes several groups with particular dietary needs - namely, vegans, the lactose-intolerant and those with celiac. In addition, Dining could place loaves of bread, a toaster and various spreads such as peanut butter, jelly and Nutella in the To-Go Room. These could be offered in a separate self-serve line, along with other staple foods that are present in Newcomb Dining Hall such as salad fixings, yogurt, pudding and cottage cheese.
Finally, Dining must define exactly what a meal swipe buys in the To-Go Room. Some to-go diners have been informed that they are limited to one entree per swipe, which does not meet the criteria of an all-you-care-to-eat meal or a la carte purchasing since there is no price differentiation between dishes. This policy should be clarified so that students know what to expect from the To-Go Room in contrast to Dining's other on-the-go options such as the Amphitheater food trucks.
It remains to be seen whether Dining will address these defects in the coming weeks. In the meantime, students must take into account the To-Go Room's limitations when deciding whether to continue with their present meal plans. Regular to-go diners can take heart, however, from the way Dining designed other new initiatives such as the Meal Exchange program in response to student feedback. If Dining continues with this approach and implements a few modest improvements, it can bring the To-Go Room in line with other on-Grounds dining options that have drawn deserved praise from those in the University community.
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