Serving microwaved eggs, discontinuing the allergy free section and hair in the food are a few of the reasons why I did not get a meal plan this semester.
The low quality of the Caf’s food is incomparable. From out of season frozen cantaloupe and melons, canned strawberry soup and mushy blueberries, the Caf has it all, despite promising students freshly-made food.
The allergy-free section is an important part of the Caf for those who are gluten free, dairy free or have other food allergies. Despite this section being so important, it disappeared for months last year. This left those with a meal plan to find off-campus resources to eat.
It’s even rumored that the section came back after a student had to sue Sodexo, the food resources parent company.
Sodexo defines itself as, “Partners in the Campus Lifestyle Evolution. Academic excellence isn’t the only thing that draws students to a college or university; it’s also the student experience. Prospective students consider the campus dining program, housing, athletics, sustainability efforts, and technology when deciding where to enroll.”
Academic excellence is the only thing a student thinks of when attending a university. When touring colleges, I doubt a prospective student is thinking of the food.
They have also taken money shortcuts over the past few years. Every single location on campus is run by Sodexo, including the Flat Top Grill.
The locations in the library went from real steak carne asada to generic ground beef. The beloved pasta bar turned into “What the Mav,” where students can help decide each month what they serve. Examples include a baked potato bar, and ironically its most popular option, pasta.
After the allergy free section returned, Sodexo started to promise students a new, revised Caf. Promises were to restock the milk section with almond, oat and soy milk, keep the allergy free section and improve the overall quality of the food.
Despite all of these improvements, the Caf remains mostly empty, as students learned to find other resources for food off campus, or use their dorm kitchens to cook.
Sodexo is also in-charge of the name brand locations on campus: Starbucks, Chick-fil-A and Einstein Bros. Bagels. These are only a few of the options that have palatable meals.
If the Caf really wanted to improve their food ,maybe start by using fresh instead of microwaved, use fruit that is in season instead of frozen and make overall better pizza.
