By Katie Hulce
Returning to college with COVID-19, we have seen many alterations to our regular processes in order to accommodate CDC guidelines and keep everyone on campus safe. I was able to connect with Director of Dining Services Melissa DaPra to talk about SNC dining past, present, and future.
When it came to preparing for students to come back in the fall, dining service’s main concern was sheer volume. At the end of a class period around lunch or dinner, it was not unusual for the caf to feed five hundred students within fifteen minutes. It was clear they needed to find a way to increase time and space, which is where to-go meals came into the picture. To-go offerings in Ruth’s and Bemis were a way to alleviate the anxiety many students had about coming back to school in person during a pandemic. Before there was much information about COVID, many students were scared about the idea of eating in person without masks. That being said, DaPra stressed the importance of keeping dine-in meals available for students. Creating a way to safely socialize during these strange times is imperative for a student’s mental health.
Although a lot has changed, there is a lot to look forward to in the future. As of Monday, April 12th, there is a new pop-up shop in GMS with different food offerings for the students who don’t want to take the time to leave the building for lunch or dinner. The pop-up shop or “smart cart” will feature things like bistro boxes, sandwiches, and salads among other things. It is a project that has been in the works since before COVID, but that was the push needed for this to be put into action. Not only that, but this year Head Chef Dan Froelich is retiring this year after thirty-two years at SNC. Although we will be sad to see him leave, and we’ll never forget his iconic chili; it will be interesting to see what new creations we will see with a fresh set of ideas in the kitchen.
DaPra noted that although what is currently set up is not the meal plan experience dining services wanted to give to students, they acknowledge the importance of the social and convenience aspect of dining. Dining continues to evolve and impress, from making preordering possible via nutrislice (which is permanent btw!), to pushing more hours for Dale’s and Ed’s. They hear the needs of the SNC students and are continuously adapting and improving based on student’s needs and the current climate.
