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Return uncertain, dining services feedback forum planned
By: CHRISTINE AIKEN
Staff Writer
Looking for a quick snack in between classes in Northside Hall? For now, the vending machines will have to suffice as the cafe has closed.
Some in Northside, especially employees, miss the convenient meals in the building.
“I think it would be better for people who are in this building a lot. They would probably appreciate this side being open more as opposed to going to the SAC or the Grill,” bookstore employee Paige Woodward said.
Co-worker Cheri Belanger echoed her sentiments.
“I just wish that it would reopen, because a lot of students and employees depend on the cafe downstairs, because they don’t want to have to go outside, because this is winter time,” she said.
Despite the importance of the cafe to those in Northside Hall, many on campus were unaware of its existence. General Manager of Dining Services Ziggy Pairitz explained the reason this dining location closed.
“It wasn’t performing to where we needed it to in order to meet our expenditures at that location,” he said. “It was a difficult decision. We talked about it, actually, for several months. We could no longer maintain it and operate it as it is.”
He added that they are not going to rule out having a dining location there in the future. Dining Services is working on some ideas, but Pairitz has to run the ideas past several different groups to be certain the plan will work out for all involved.
The Student Government Association dining services committee will host a public forum from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 18 in the fireside room in the University Grill in order to address ideas to improve dining services. Students and staff are welcome.
Senior and committee member Jessica Williams stated, “A few of the changes that we have seen with dining services like having the personal pizzas was because of stuff we did as the committee. So that was helpful. Our main focus is to serve as liaison between students and dining services because we do have the survey that goes out from dining services that everybody gets but a lot of times everybody doesn’t do that.”
A new survey will be available online for two weeks beginning on Feb. 23. The survey will be from Sodexo seeking feedback on dining options at IUSB. Ziggy Pairitz explained that more information will be coming, specifically during the open forum.
“We would like the students to look on that and respond back and give us feedback, good, bad, whatever,” he said. “We want the input from the student population. We can’t improve or know what we’re doing right unless we get word back.”
“We’re going to work on maybe getting coupons attached to it so, if you fill it out, you get a coupon. That’s something Ziggy has been working on,” Jessica Williams added.
She wanted students to know that IUSB Dining Services Committee has a Facebook page. Instagram and Twitter pages are also in the works. Students are encouraged to visit the Facebook page and post on the wall, especially if they cannot attend the forum.
Everyone involved with dining services wants the IUSB community to get involved by knowing they can have an open conversation with members of the committee and management as they work very closely together.
“We want to hear anything they have to say,” Williams said. “It’s about making sure there is something for everybody.”
