Dining changes implemented
Dining Services will immediately implement several new changes, including adding more items to the C-meal program and bringing back some favorite dishes to the Stein, according to an e-mail that Dining Services sent yesterday to the members of the Student Dining Services Advisory Committee.These changes were discussed in a meeting last Thursday between the committee and Aramark.
According to the e-mail, which was shared with the Justice, the C-meal program in the Provisions on Demand Market will now include "vegan noodle options that are prepared and packaged on-site as part of the existing grab and go program," as well as Dannon yogurt and soy milk. At Einstein Bros. Bagels, the C-meal program will now include the Bistro salad, roasted turkey sandwich, tuna sandwich and bananas.
'Deis Dip and sweet potato fries will return to the Stein menu immediately, according to the e-mail from Dining Services. The e-mail also says that "the return of the '5 and 5' Menu" will be "coming soon."
According to Jenna Brofsky '10, co-chair for the committee, the '5 and 5' menu will become a permanent part of the menu and will offer five dishes that cost $5 each so that students can use the five-dollar meal equivalency at the Stein. Brofsky also explained that Dining Services implemented the "5 and 5" menu last semester, but it was unsuccessful.
This will "include the requested return of grilled cheese with tomato and tuna melt," according to the Dining Services e-mail.
Brofsky explained that these items were removed from the menu after the Stein was no longer open for lunch. She said that Dining Services tried to remove lunch options from the regular dinner menu in order to focus more on dinner options, "but [the committee] explained that people still eat grilled cheese for dinner."
The Kosher To-Go program in Usdan will include a "new sandwich and salad cycle, including the return of the requested favorite Italian sub."
According to Jenna Rubin '11, co-chair of the committee, the committee's top priorities at the meeting were to discuss what constitutes a meal at Einstein's and in the P.O.D. Market, as well as to address the morning dining hours offered on weekends.
Nate Rosenblum '10, a member of the committee, said that the committee also presented several smaller dining issues. "Aramark was generally really receptive to those [issues]. A lot of them were small changes that [Aramark] can easily change, such as posting nutrition facts at Einstein's and bringing back certain dishes at The Stein. [Aramark was] really receptive to those things and we should see changes pretty soon."
In fact, in an e-mail to the Justice, Director of Dining Services Mike Newmark wrote that nutritional information is now available online and will be displayed at Einstein's and Quiznos. He also wrote, "Just as in the past, the Stein will have menu changes/modifications for second semester. We take all feedback seriously. It is our goal to increase satisfaction." He said that students can expect to see "popular items" return.
Rosenblum explained that the committee created a list of items they would like to see reinstated on the Stein menu. He said that a lot of those dishes will be coming back as specials throughout the semester. Starting next semester, however, the menu will be redone, and certain dishes will be put back on the menu. "It does tend to change frequently, so people can hopefully expect to see some of their favorites back," he said.
Rubin also explained, "Part of the concern for the Stein management for taking items off the menu was that since they're not open for lunch anymore, their time to prep foods has severely been cut down. So the items that take longer to prep came off the menu for a reason."
She added, "We did make an emphasis on bringing back some of the vegetarian options like the grilled cheese and tomato and tofu and sesame dish."
Rosenblum added that pizzas will reappear on the menu as specials this semester and will be added to the menu in the spring.
The committee would like to see more hot meal entrées and some vegan and vegetarian options, as well as some frozen meals, count as meals in the P.O.D. Market. Regarding Einstein's, the committee's meal priority was to have the meal equivalency include sandwiches and salads. Its second priority was to have the yogurt parfaits and fruit cups constitute meals. Rubin said, "Health-wise, how is it that you can order cookies and bagels as part of a meal but not fruit?"
Rubin said that there is a "lack of consistency between what counts as a meal in Usdan and what counts in the P.O.D. Market. You can get a bottle of water that counts as part of a meal in the Café and Boulevard, but not in the P.O.D. Market. I tried to point that out [at the meeting] and I was quickly shut down . [Aramark was] not receptive to making larger water bottles part of a meal in the P.O.D. Market."
Rosenblum also said that the committee is pushing for extended hours during finals period "because that's when students really need food, especially at later hours."
In an e-mail to the Justice, Newmark wrote, "We understand the importance of meeting student schedules during this demanding period." However, no specific changes have been finalized at this point.
Rubin said that the committee "started seeing resistance on this specific issue." She explained, "We're running into some issues with bureaucracy in the system. This is something I'm really committed to working on. If they tell us 'no way' this semester, that's fine; I'm going to bring it up again next semester, though. I'm ready to fight them on this, especially because I'm up early, and I don't want to wait until 11:30 a.m. for something to be open."
Rosenblum said that the committee is "a good cross-section of Brandeis students. . So when our group makes a decision about what our priorities are, it's generally representative of the Brandeis student body.
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