On Thursday night, Ed Murphy, Director of Dining Services, invited all students to an open forum in Founders Hall. While there wasn't much time to publicize, this meeting was fairly well attended.
Students at the meeting were encouraged to tell Debbie Peters, Manager of Founders, and Bob Wilder, Manager of Morgan, exactly what entrees do not appeal to them and why.
Some students complained about the differences between Founders and Morgan Commons. In Founders, according to one student, the pasta sets too long and becomes mushy and cold, whereas the pasta in Morgan is usually OK. The difference is due mainly to the fact that Morgan has a higher turnover rate; that is, more students eat there, so dishes are depleted and replenished constantly. In contrast, Founders only feeds 300 or so students, so the turnover rate is less.
Another complaint was that, in Founders, many items are gone by 5:30 and are never replaced. According to one student, there is usually nothing left there after 6:00 PM, even though Founders does not close until 6:30. While Debbie had no responses, Bob pointed out that his staff in Morgan does not start removing food until 6:30.
When the question of ingredient quality came up, Ed invited all students on tours of both kitchens. "We've got nothing to hide," he said. "[The ingredients we use] are all Grade A." Students interested in a kitchen tour should contact Debbie or Bob. He also told students that he is willing to arrange road trips to other schools, where they could sample foods and make suggestions to Ed.
Several changes were suggested Thursday evening, ranging from removing peppers and onions from many entrees to redesigning Founders Commons so that a Healthy Choice line could be added. Debbie is considering moving the salad bar and dessert selections ou t into the dining area in order to dedicate more space to entrees.
Students inquired about everything from low-fat butter and mayonnaise (which are unavailable to the staff here, according to Debbie) to when shipments of meat come in (every other day).
One of the most common complaints heard is that the meat is always undercooked or too greasy. Bob had already implemented a solution to the former problem in Morgan. He told the chefs to cook half of the steaks well and half medium rare on Wednesday nig ht, and students were able to choose which they preferred. "I got no complaints that night," he said.
While the problems associated with food quality here at WPI are far from solved, this meeting was a good start, if not a new beginning. Now that students and food managers are communicating face-to-face, rather that through GS Grams, problems are well on their way to being solved.