In an initiative to improve dining and receive student engagement and feedback, the Dining Department hosted a Culinary Council meeting. This meeting allowed the roughly 15 students in attendance to try new foods and give feedback on all features of dining on campus, as well as ask questions.
The meeting, which took place Feb. 7, on the first floor of PPHAC, had a ‘breads and spreads’ and Valentine’s Day theme, offering different types of bread, dips, chicken, deserts, strawberry lemonade, and Shirley Temples.
One of the issues that students brought up during the meeting was the disconnect between the Everyday app and what is available at the kiosks in the B&G.
Many of these issues stem from the Everyday app being incompatible with items created by Moravian Dining for Moravian students. To get these items onto the Everyday app, the app developers would have to place these items on the menus of other colleges that utilize the app, which is not being done.
However, Dining is working to add more items to the app and features to customize orders, such as a “no bun” option and adding different cheese options.
Dale Fisher, the B&G retail manager, claimed he was frustrated with the incompatibility of the kiosk and app.
Another change in the B&G is its hours. Monday through Thursday, the Wawa-esq dining option will be opening an hour early, at 10 a.m.
The number of vending machines around campus has increased as Dining prepares for the HUB renovations. These vending machines will soon have more options available, such as breakfast sandwiches and other breakfast items.
Currently, the tap readers do not work on the vending machines, and Dining is working to get them up and running.
In The Star, more variety will be offered at the salad bar, such as different deli meats, cheese, and salad toppings will be rotated more frequently. Rotation of the omelets and breakfast sandwiches will also become more frequent.
Meal options will be rotated to different days of the week and different mealtimes. By not consistently providing the same meal during a particular mealtime and day of the week, Dining hopes to give students access to all the meals they provide despite their schedules.
After much demand from students, The Star will soon be introducing a “seasoning table,” allowing students to use as much or as little seasonings as they would like.
On South campus, Clewell Dining Hall will be making new improvements, too. Most importantly, they will work to improve the signage about which foods are being served, allergens, and whether options are vegan.
Moravian’s Dining Department has been recovering from setbacks from the COVID-19 pandemic and is finally beginning to reinstate many of the beloved features they provided pre-pandemic.
There has been a great demand for certain items that the team is focusing on this semester, such as a mac and cheese bar in The Star, vegan butter, a seasoning table, and vegan/vegetarian options.
