As classes resumed at Capital for the spring semester, students found that some changes were made by Aramark in One Main Café. The changes include both new menu options and a new register system that will better accommodate the high traffic rates in One Main Café.
“The University switched to a new register system that is wireless-friendly, customizable, and table-based while giving a cleaner look,” Anthony Baker, Director of Dining for Aramark at Capital, said. “The new register system will not affect meal plans at all, but in the long-term, it will allow us to have a much faster process to get students through the line.”
The new register system has already been making an impact, as participation and traffic rates in the first week of classes are higher than what Aramark saw in the first week of the fall semester.
The meal swipe equivalency will continue to be based on Aramark’s combo meal system. A combo meal consists of a main dish such as a sandwich, a side, and a beverage for one swipe. Each student has one meal swipe equivalency available to them each day.
“The meal equivalency system is designed specifically for college students that need a quick and convenient meal,” Baker said. “Particularly students who may skip a meal due to studying, sports, or whatever the case may be.”
Additional changes Aramark has made can be seen in the new menu options. One such addition is the feature of a Grab-n-Go hot food selection at a lower cost than items on the menu.
“The Grab-n-Go selection will feature no wait, as we’ll have chicken sandwiches and burgers already made,” Baker said. “I think that it will be appreciated by a lot of students as they now have other ready-made options besides the sushi and salad.”
Aramark had made changes based on the results of two surveys it conducted with students last semester.
“Last semester was our learning semester,” Baker said. “Each campus takes time to learn what the students want, and I feel good about the information we received from the surveys.”
From the information compiled, Aramark’s One Main Café menu now features items such as chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, and Philly sandwiches. The most popular of the new items are the taco salad and the burritos.
One Main Café is not the only dining option seeing changes this semester, as a Chef’s Table will be featured in the MDR once a week.
“On a select day each week, we’ll be taking one of our chefs and setting up a table in the dining hall as an extra station for the day,” Baker said. “We will serve specialty items not usually available to students, such as our Salmon BLT option last week.”
Chef’s Table will take place on different days every week, but will be advertised via signs around campus the day before.
Aramark is prepared to make additional changes as they see necessary throughout this upcoming semester.
“As we see certain items don’t sell we’ll take options off,” Baker said. “We want our menu to be desirable.”
Aramark hopes to instill nitrogen ice cream and cotton candy machines in the Capital Court in the coming weeks as well. Einstein Bagels will also be served in Blackmore Library starting in August, when the 2016-2017 academic year begins.
