Dining Services dishes out more options for students
Utah State Dining Services has put forth effort this year to create more opportunities for students to eat on campus when they want and how they want, including more sustainable and convenient options everywhere.
One such option has been the takeout boxes in the Marketplace, in the Taggart Student Center.
“The takeout boxes really became part of our sustainability efforts,” said Alan Andersen, director for Utah State University Dining Services.
Apart from more sustainable efforts put forth by dining services, students have increasingly voiced that they wanted to be able to take food out of the dining areas. The takeout boxes allow students to do this, also allowing dining services to not waste excess food and to keep up their sustainability.
The reusable takeout boxes started in January of this year.
“They were implemented to help students, faculty and staff get food from the dining halls,” said Corey Cozzens, executive sous chef for Utah State University Dining Services. “Over the years I had heard from students and staff that they would like to have the option to take food out, and since it was an ‘all-you-care-to-eat’ facility, that option didn’t work. We created the boxes to help in that niche. They allow someone to take a single meal out of our dining hall.”
Steph Symonds, a resident assistant for Utah State University Housing and Residence Life, uses the takeout boxes regularly.
“I love it. They make it super easy, especially when I need to go to work. I can just come in here, grab something to go and then go to work in the Mountain View office,” Symonds said.
Another change was Taco Tuesdays, as students can be seen flocking to the nearest location that offers Taco Tuesday deals around town. Taco Tuesday is one of the most popular things at The Junction, with 200 to 300 students being served between 9:00 p.m. and 11 p.m.
“Students use their meal plans or pay $7.50 to enter and have a great time with friends eating tacos every Tuesday night,” said Lindsey Wiltshire, the director of The Junction.
And the Tuesday trend has caught on quickly.
“I went and bought tacos on Thursday night, and the price definitely was not the same as on Tuesday,” said Jonathan Dayley, a sophomore majoring in finance.
Taco Tuesday began this fall semester as a way to help out night sales in The Hub in the Taggart Student Center. Due to popularity, The Hub began doing it all day.
“I think that downtown, Taco Tuesday is a big thing. It is just growing, kind of like Thirsty Thursdays,” said Becca Maynard, manager of The Hub.
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