Next semester, the dining plan will dramatically change for AU students. Bon Appétit is out, and Higher Education is in. The Eagle weighs in on all of the changes happening for the fall.
So long Bon Appétit, and good riddance
Bon Appétit will not be missed on AU’s campus. Over the years, there has been one too many scandals with Bon Appétit’s food, workers and services to warrant a good review of its management.
In the last year we have seen Bon Appétit workers fired for unnamed or inane reasons. We have seen the workers petition for higher wages and more hours. We’ve seen over 1,000 people sign the Real Food Real Jobs pledge to attain sustainable, local food and livable wages for workers. Even with all of this pressure by students and faculty, these issues were never fully resolved by the higher management.
Aside from worker rights, students have never been particularly pleased with the services provided from Bon Appétit. Much of this has to do with the morale of the workers, many of whom have not been pleasant to interact with. With improved work hours and salaries, workers may be friendlier.
Sanitation has also been a big issue, from how the Firewok pan is barely cleaned after each order to the slugs in Terrace Dining Room food. Although the food has improved over the last couple of years at TDR, they still have a ways to go before students stop leaving with the notorious “TDR stomach ache.”
We urge new management to consider implementing and enforcing stricter health precautions. Aramark’s promise to retrain the staff is a good start. The slugs in the food and anecdotal cases of food poisoning are worrisome, and something needs to be done.
The revamped TDR
TDR is going through a complete makeover in the coming semesters.
The vegetarian and vegan sections provide more options that caters to a growing group on campus. As of right now, there are no hot options for vegans and vegetarians, and it can be hard to keep up with a particular diet if left to the constraints of meal swipes.
It is now almost impossible to keep kosher as a student at AU. Thankfully, Aramark promises to make kosher food more readily available for the significant Jewish population on AU’s campus.
Keep Tavern space open to student organizations
The new options for Tavern and Salsa are exciting, but there are some things to be kept in mind. We are not sure what will happen to the space in Tavern, and right now that is the only flexible performance space that student clubs can reserve for free. AU needs to make sure that spacing policies within the Tavern area stay the same, because student clubs can barely afford to exist right now.
New management should provide more student jobs
With the new Starbucks taking the vacant space in the tunnel, students should never run out of ways to find caffeine on AU’s campus.
However, the more important question to ask is: Who will work at this Starbucks?
Other than the Dav, the vendors on campus do not hire students. We need more places on campus which cater to student jobs. If you are one of the many unlucky students without work study or who lost it sophomore year, there are very few options for employment on campus.
Bringing a Starbucks not only brings more (and arguably, better) coffee options to campus, but it should bring an increase in student employment as well. .? E
