Meal plan options likely to remain similar next year

After a year of intense changes concerning both meal plans and dining options, Campus Dining Services and Aramark are planning for future semesters to be more low-key.

The current meal plan system, with its meal requirements and Dining Dollar options, will likely remain unaltered, according to officials.

After debate last spring, the revised kosher meal plan put into place this academic year will also likely remain unchanged in terms of the dining hall and grab-and-go options at Houston Market and 1920 Commons. In past years, a separate kosher plan was available, but now students pay a $2 surcharge to eat in Steinhardt Hall.

This dining option has been a campus favorite since its introduction, mostly because of "the strict way in which the food was received and prepared according to Orthodox Jewish prescriptions," Dining Services Contract and Relationship Manager Laurie Cousart said.

This change has not been the only one on campus this year. Dining options have grown, and most of the new choices are the direct result of online and paper surveys that Dining Services and Aramark submitted to students in past years.

The aim of the research was to understand what customers are looking for when they eat in one of Aramark's locations, eventually leading to the offering of more dining options, which officials hope will meet the needs reflected in the surveys.

"The major changes are the result of a broad overview that was done last summer," Dining Services Marketing Manager Maeve Duska said. "The surveys are our check and balance. We take them very seriously."

Duska added that changes are implemented on the basis of the volume of the request.

"If 30, 40, 50 percent of the surveys have similar answers, we will make changes," she said.

The result of the analysis was the opening of locations such as Mark's Cafe in Van Pelt Library, the Cyber Cafe in Levine Hall and the recently inaugurated Triangle Diner. Another innovation was the extension of the cafes' hours of operation to meet student requests.

After a year full of experimentation, Dining Services and Aramark are now planning to observe each business and program future strategies accordingly.

"We are not looking to expand right now," Duska said. "We want to take another look at what we are doing now, go back to the students and fine-tune what we put in place last summer, looking at the campus and at its requests."

Many students said adjustments might be in order, as they harbor ambivalent feelings about some of the services offered.

"The Mark's Cafe is not that great, but the Triangle Diner is pretty good -- I like the whole atmosphere [and] the '60s theme, and the food is not bad," College sophomore Amrita Arneja said.

Observations take into account not only students' opinions, but also the location's financial situation.

"Once we implemented a suggestion, we track changes based on sales," Duska said, adding that the modifications can be revoked if they are not popular among customers.

"What people want and the reality of the situation are not always the same."

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