Students across campus are voicing dissatisfaction with the variety offered at several dining options, and BGSU Dining is listening.
BGSU Dining Director of Marketing and Communications, Jon Zachrich, explains how students can give input about the meal options and how the dining advisory board is working to meet expressed needs of students.
Is there somewhere for students to give their input on dining options?
“Right on our website… They can just go through dineoncampus.com/bgsu/feedback… This (feedback survey) actually goes directly to… basically all of our directors. So if something comes up there, it’s taken care of literally as soon as possible. It’s probably the most effective way to get our attention as well.”
Some students are expressing a lack of variation, especially in vegan and vegetarian options. Have you heard this feedback from students?
“Yes, variety is always the biggest issue because even though we do really pride ourselves on the variety, students always see what they like. So we do put a lot of different things on (the menu), but it may not be what’s in their wheelhouse of things they want to try.”
How do you address the input and needs of students?
“We meet every month. We have a dining advisory board of students, faculty and staff and then one or two of our employees as well to kind of talk about issues within dining services… And one of the things we added this year through the student government, they actually have a vegan representative who sits on that board now . . . I know that’s one thing our executive chef, Marissa Riffle, has been working on with that representative.”
What solutions has BGSU Dining come up with so far to accommodate these changing needs?
“While we know we have that variety, we don’t do a very good job of telling people when those things are coming. So if you’re not specifically looking for (a new dish), you’ll never know that it’s there unless you’re there on that specific day . . . A couple ways we talked about doing that is kind of doing like a BG newsletter . . . We’re talking about trying to do something like that, but we are just kind of concerned about who will actually read it.”
“We’re actually working with the University’s marketing and communications to do a big push for (the BGSU app) for spring semester since we’re updating it, so it’s going to have a little bit updated menu. … We’re also going to add our calendar events on the BGSU app. … It’ll have a direct link to that feedback page; it’ll have our nutrition information.”
If students have questions or concerns about dining services:
Submit feedback through the survey at dineoncampus.com/bgsu/feedback.
Check the dining icon on the BGSU app for menus, hours and nutrition information.
Watch for signs in the various dining facilities for upcoming events and other important information.
