Despite student body dissatisfaction, Dartmouth Dining Services seems unwilling to improve the dining plans or the quality of food served to students. Absent a complete overhaul of the DDS system, there are several changes that could raise DDS’s quality of service.
First, there is no way to justify the draconian rules surrounding meal swipes. When I explain to visitors that only one meal swipe may be used within a certain time frame and that the value of the meal swipe changes based on the time of day, they often give me puzzled and bewildered looks. Students have paid for the meal swipes and should be able to use them as they wish. I cannot imagine a single good reason why I should not be able to use two meal swipes in the same meal period.
Several possible solutions could fix these problems. First, the College could rent space out to private vendors or franchises of restaurants with national footprints and reputations for fast service and quality. Subway, which already has a franchise in Hanover, and which operates 515 campus franchises worldwide, is one possible candidate. Another possibility is Moe’s Southwest Grill, located in West Lebanon, which operates restaurants on 17 college campuses.
If the College operated such a franchise, it could be staffed by College employees, just like the Hop or Novack. Perhaps with several private dining options, there would not only be more variety in dining options, but a greater number of jobs as well.
Another step would be to allow for students to use their DBA in local, off-campus restaurants. Many students already eat at these restaurants. Some, like Boloco and Subway, are viable on-the-go dining options that are comparable with Collis stir-fry or Hop sandwiches. Allowing students to spend DBA in town would both support the local economy in Hanover and expand the number of options available to students. The now-defunct Hanover Bucks program, which allowed students to load money onto pre-paid cards to receive discounts on purchases at restaurants and stores in town, relied on students’ patronage of Hanover businesses.
Lastly, the College could consider licensing more food trucks, like The Box, on campus. At Cornell University, two food trucks operate year-round near the largest residential areas and are among Cornell students’ favorite dining options. When I was at Cornell, they often were the only place to grab good hot food when all other dining locations had been closed for hours. Licensing more food trucks and promoting entrepreneurial solutions benefit both students and would-be businesspeople in the area.
As an institution, DDS leaves much to be desired. I could not help but feel somewhat chagrined when I saw that Novack Café was now offering “apple and brie sandwiches.” Not even the slightest effort was made to conceal that this was a shoddy imitation of the sandwich that King Arthur Flour Café occasionally serves. Unable to come up with any creative options, DDS simply copied the most popular product of the one quasi-outside option that operates on campus and has consistently high-quality offerings.
If College President Phil Hanlon wishes to improve student life directly and immediately, I would advise him to look at Dartmouth Dining Services first. Reforming meal plans to give students more freedom, options and flexibility — these basic improvements would go a long way.
