CDS discusses hot food take out, cameras

Take out would allow students to grab a meal with disposable boxes.

By Luke Udstuen

Published March 23, 2010

Campus Dining Services is looking into implementing a hot food takeout option in residential dining halls.

CDS Associate Director Steve Simpson said the mechanics of the program are still in the works, but the program might begin in one dining hall as soon as this semester. If the program goes well, it could expand to all halls by the fall semester.

"We'd have to figure out the mechanics of it so people don't do both, dine in and then take a meal to go," Simpson said.

The program would implement disposable containers that students would use to take hot items out of the dining hall. Students would be able to obtain food from more than one food station with the containers.

Simpson also addressed existing concerns of serving food from multiple stations in one container. He said dining halls are able to serve multiple food items on one plate as long as a student has not consumed food from the plate, despite refusal of some CDS employees to do so.

Freshman Kathy Rudd works for Eva J's dining hall and said she received specific instructions to give a student a new plate each time she serves food.

"The last thing we'd want is people using this (takeout) program to burn up their meals at the end of the week," Simpson said. "The whole idea is to replace the meal that you don't have time to sit down and eat."

Simpson asked whether residents would like to see the option of a beverage included in the program. A majority of the Residence Halls Association internal representatives present favored the question.

Simpson said Rollins dining hall's closing has severely decreased the amount of breakfast meals CDS serves.

"Rollins used to be full for breakfast," Simpson said. "Now we open Eva J's and Plaza 900 at 7 a.m., and you could shoot a cannon off inside of them."

Simpson said CDS is seriously considering changing to a meal plan that only has one method of counting meals. Whether that will be individual meals or points is still undecided.

"Students get it, parents don't," Simpson said about the points system. "Parents want to know how many meals their kids are getting."

Less than 20 percent of students use the point system. Simpson said eliminating the hassle created by the dual method of counting meals would speed up cashiering.

CDS will purchase smaller trays in Rollins Dining Hall. RHA suggested the idea because the smaller trays might encourage students to take less food, therefore creating less waste.

Freshman Gian Vitale said he wants to see choices.

"Sometimes I want to eat more, sometimes I don't," Vitale said. "It depends on the day."

Simpson recanted a previous statement made to RHA that financial reasons would not prevent CDS from implementing cameras to monitor traffic within dining halls.

“We're willing to consider web cameras, but we're not willing to pay for them," Simpson said. "It's something that we don't see a need for. It's a luxury."

Simpson said CDS might consider implementing cameras in retail areas such as the Bookmark Café, which makes a larger profit when it sells more food items.

“If it increases sales, it would be a good business decision to install the cameras," Simpson said about Bookmark Café.