This past July, Radford University decided to
outsource their dining services in an effort to improve the quality of food
and overall dining experience for the RU community. The university awarded
the contract to Chartwell's, a private company that provides dining services
for educational institutions. Since RU made the switch, the variety of food
in the dining hall has greatly diminished and the quality has not improved.
In fact, there are many days when I feel the quality has declined.
Some will argue that if you avoid eating in the dining hall and only eat
in the Terrace Shops, you will be fine; however, when you have an appetite
like mine, the Terrace Shops just do not cut it, and the never-changing menu
of Muse is not an option anymore.
A few days ago, I made the unfortunate mistake of going to Dalton Dinning
Hall for dinner. Being a Dalton connoisseur, I was greatly surprised to
notice a sign by the entrance door that I had never seen before. The sign
reads, "Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed." I turned to my friend Kyle
and asked him if he had ever seen that sign before, but he had not.
Jokingly, we wondered what we would get if we were ever unsatisfied. Perhaps
a refund? If Chartwell's had that policy, they would be bankrupt before the
end of the semester.
After getting my card swiped, I headed for the so-called "Fresh Grille"
and scanned the area for something that my body would not reject. Sadly, I
came up short. The french fries, or "freedom fries," as some call them,
were thoroughly burnt, and the mushroom cheddar burger -- well, let's just
say I have seen science experiments that looked more appetizing. I then
moved to the "Market Carvery" in hopes of redemption. My hopes were
shattered when I saw that whatever used to be in that section was gone and
no employee was in sight to remedy the situation. At this point, I had given
up all hope of Dalton making the grade, or as they put it, "satisfying me."
As I moved on, I noticed that the lettuce in the salad bar was brown and
nasty and the cookies at the dessert counter were dry and hard. Just about
everything in the dining hall that day was substandard. Kyle and I often
wonder if prison inmates have it this bad.
Unfortunately, my experience in the dining hall the other day was not an
isolated incident, but rather very much the norm this year. As many of you
may have seen, there are floor plans and conceptual drawings of what the
dining hall and Terrace Shops will look like after this summer's proposed
renovation. I admit that it looks like next year our dining facilities will
be very beautiful, but my fear is that the quality of food will remain the
same.
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Justin is a senior and guest writer for Whim.
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Name: Nick
Comments:
Its better than it used to be, as least that is something to think about. ON the other hand, I have yet to get a hamburger without moldy bread. Thanks for the article Justin.
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Justin Salop | Guest Writer