On Monday, Oct. 8, Aramark Marketing Manager Lizabeth Kasmer sat down with a resident advisor (RA) from each university residential building and discussed reported food complaints on campus. Reports focused heavily on CINO Grille and the new food lockers.
RAs reported frustration with the Grubhub app, stating the app will display the order is complete, but when users go up and scan their QR code, the screen then displays “Your order will be ready soon.”
The time it takes for the runners to deliver items to the food locker creates a delay, resulting in a line forming in front of lockers, creating a longer waiting time. Therefore, staff recommends ordering ahead of time to avoid a wait.
“I’ve been pushing heavily with our operations team,” Kasmer said. “They’re trying to expedite those bump times because a big thing is just wait time and waiting for your food. You want it quickly.”
McKenzie Meyers, a senior early childhood education major, said compared to previous years at Coastal Carolina University, she felt there used to be more options. She also said she believes the quality of services at Coastal has declined.
“I think, you know, it can be hard trying to get as much food as they need, to feed as many people as they do. But just seeing where the ingredients are coming from and putting a little bit more attention into that, and you know, not just getting the cheapest thing just because,” Meyers said. “Are there other thing that are still affordable, but maybe a little bit better?”
Melody Winepol, senior exercise and sport science major, shared her feedback on the recent Aramark meeting. She expressed concerns about the cost-to-quality ratio of campus dining, along with confidence in Aramark to provide a solution.
“For the amount of money we’re putting into this school, the quality of the food doesn’t match,” Winepol said. “I feel like this year, Aramark will definitely take matters into their own hands and make more improvements based on the feedback.”
All student representatives said the meeting went well. They appreciated the transparency and opportunity to share their concerns, not to mention the addition of bacon at Hicks Dining Hall. They also expressed confidence that Aramark will take action to improve the dining experience for students at CCU.
After addressing concerns, Aramark announced there is a newly registered dietitian on campus that helps CCU food crew’s culinary team and executive chef.
There will also be a new menu offering at the Road Rooster food truck on Prince Lawn.
