It is 12:13 p.m. All I had eaten was a pack of Belvita before my 9:30 a.m. class, and the pangs of hunger were making themselves known. I had a delicious Bangin’ Berry smoothie from Freshens waiting for me, as I ordered it ahead of time to be ready at 12:10. I only had a 15-minute break between classes, so I was ready to be in and out.
Oh, how wrong I was. At 12:15, my smoothie was not ready. At 12:20, still nothing. At 12:25, and I am full-on hangry. It’s 12:28, and I must pull the plug and head back to Rowland Hall for my 12:30 class. When I got the notification at 12:34 that “Your order is now ready,” I was too irritated to even laugh at the irony.
If my 12:30 class had been anywhere other than Rowland Hall, that smoothie would likely never have been claimed.
The current system of mobile ordering is entirely unsustainable. What is the point of allowing students to order their food ahead of time if it is always a gamble as to whether it will be there? And depending on the customizations they want, they may not even be able to order online.
Students should not be expected to dedicate up to 30 minutes of their packed schedules to waiting for pre-ordered food, let alone the fact mobile ordering has already been “currently unavailable” twice thus far this semester.
This speaks to a larger issue that has plagued dining services in the first weeks of the semester. With one of the largest incoming classes in years, it is painfully accurate that dining was -— and still is -— not prepared to handle the number of customers who are now reliant on its services.
A practically meaningless 20-cent increase to the value of a meal swipe coupled with raised food costs across campus seems to have driven more students to Reisner Dining Hall. I have never been an opponent to Reisner’s quality, but it simply must improve the quantity. From shortages of cups to instances of not a single fork available in the entire hall, Reisner has not increased necessities.
Dining continues to struggle with transparency. There are no hours posted on their Instagram account for any locations, and changes to The Sub Shop Meal Deal and the elimination of breakfast at Burgers and Fries happened with seemingly no communication.
The lines get harder to stand in, and Ship Dining provides an experience that makes me continue to wonder if it is worth the wait.
The Slate welcomes thoughtful discussion on all of our stories, but please keep comments civil and on-topic. Read our full guidelines here.