Fresh ideas are coming to BGSU dining as students continue to voice their opinions about the food on campus.
Pub 1910, a restaurant located inside of the Bowen-Thompson Student Union, announced new changes to the menu as well as discounts for students.
Some of these updates include a happy hour that will be Monday-Thursday from 5-7 p.m. Students can save money with their new Shareables Specials where you can buy one, get one 50% off. There’s also a new Sunday Brunch menu that will be available from 10:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Along with Pub 1910, there are new additions to Absurd Bird, located in the Falcon’s Nest of the Union. The new menu includes sandwiches and salads, which before only included options for chicken tenders and fries.
A lot of planning goes into the changing of the dining halls to see what works best with students.
Jon Zachrich, the director of marketing, communication and technology for BGSU Dining, stated during an email interview that “BGSU Dining uses a few different factors when planning changes to any menu or facility: student feedback, operational efficiency, food/menu trends and physical space limitations.”
The dining locations on campus continue to implement changes each year to better the dining experience for students.
“Usually we try to update/change one or two concepts/locations each year in each location. That can be anything as large as a new concept or as small as a menu item highlight,” said Zachrich.
Existing aspects of dining at BGSU are already popular with students who live on campus.
“I really like how they have flexible hours for some of the dining options. Hungry Howies is open until midnight, so if I got back late from classes, there would be something for me to eat. I do like how the Oaks has a lot of options for food to eat…and they would give you different options every single day.” Elizabeth Dell, a biology major at BGSU, said.
Even small changes about the dining halls make it so students have a better experience.
“I love the burger place in Kreisher’s fries. Hungry Howies never disappoints…And there’s the one Chipotle type place in the Carillon, that’s really good. They made it so now that the toppings are self-serve and I really appreciate that.” Meg Picoult, a finance major at BGSU, stated.
BGSU is also providing students with creative ways to get the most out of their dining experience and learn more about what the campus has to offer.
A new addition to dining is the Falcon Foodie Passport, which lists dining locations on campus where students can go and collect a stamp from a cashier to include in the passport. Students on campus believe it’s a nice way to learn the dining options.
“I think that’s fun, and encourages people to find other places to eat. I know my first year I just stuck to the Oaks every single day.” Dell said.
Students can turn in their passport on Oct. 31 for the chance to be entered into a raffle for cool prizes, including a Nintendo Switch.
While the dining halls on campus provide students with different food options, it can be hard for students with specific dietary restrictions or allergies to find a wide variety in the food they can eat.
“One of my best friends is gluten free, and she can barely eat anything at the Oaks…there’s a tiny table that’s just gluten free food. She has really limited options on campus that she can eat, so she has to buy a lot of her own food, and there’s no point in having a meal plan.” Picoult says.
Different resources within dining provide students with extra help involving dietary needs and restrictions.
“Our team goes through a wide variety of training specifically for those with dietary needs. Each location always has an ingredient expert on staff to help answer any question.” Zachrich said.
Students continue to voice their opinions about what they would like to see happen with the dining halls on campus for the future
“I would like it if they had even more places with later hours…If they could have the Oaks open until at least nine or ten because sometimes I don’t get out of classes until pretty late.” Dell said.
Students can visit https://dineoncampus.com/bgsu if they have questions about dining options on campus or allergy/nutrition requests.
