At the start of the winter term, Dartmouth Dining reorganized the layout of Novack Cafe. The change — which created separate lines and checkout stations for the refrigerated and cafe sections — requires customers to pay separately for items from each area.
While Dartmouth Dining director Jon Plodzik wrote in an email statement to The Dartmouth that the reorganization was an “attempt to improve the speed of service and efficiency” at the cafe, students have expressed mixed reactions to the new layout’s updated payment format.
Neil Sachdeva ’28 said he feels “inconvenienced” by the change since now he is unable to use the full value of a meal swipe at Novack. A dinner swipe, for instance, can only be used once, at either the cafe cashier or the refrigerator cashier — a rule which makes it impossible to pay for Novack items from both sections.
“Sometimes when I want to use my swipe, I would generally want to get a drink but also want to not use the rest of my dinner swipe on getting snacks from there,” Sachdeva said. “Because they’re split up, I can’t use my swipe in both places now to cover the full ten dollars.”
Sachdeva added that he has not experienced any noticeable change in the efficiency of either sectional line.
Isabella Kearney ’28 expressed similar frustrations, agreeing that the new system is inefficient when it comes to buying items from both areas.
“I think it’s inefficient, especially if you want to get a fruit from the fridge plus a baked good from Starbucks,” Kearney said. “It’s not possible to use one swipe on multiple things.”
According to Plodzik, Dartmouth Dining adjusted the cafe’s line configurations to better and more quickly accommodate students. Some of those changes include adding bananas and bottled water to the Starbucks made-to-order line, shifting the location of the refrigerated area’s register to the back corner and modifying the shape of the partition wall between the snack shelf and the line to Starbucks.
“We have modified the layout and line configuration a number of times since we opened with this model in January,” Plodzik wrote. “We learned a lot and appreciate everyone’s patience as we modify our original plan to better serve our patrons.”
Plodzik added that the line reorganization has not caused any major staffing changes. However, an employee from the Class of 1953 Commons now “assists to keep the area operational and service quick” when necessary, he explained.
Alexandra Wingo ’28 also expressed frustration about not being able to split her meal swipe between the cafe’s two sections, as well as confusion about how to follow the order line.
“Sometimes it’s not clear where to go, because it changes a lot,” she said.
Some students meanwhile believe that the new layout has increased efficiency. Sidney Crockett ’28 said she feels the new layout has shortened the lines for items from Novack’s refrigerated section.
“I feel like it’s a little bit faster,” Crockett said. “Whenever I want to get a snack, it’s nice not having to wait in the Starbucks line behind everybody to get something. I can just walk up and be done in two minutes, so it’s a lot faster during class change.”
Plodzik wrote that although the new layout requires customers to “think ahead of what they are looking to get,” it can also be a “real time saver.”
“Like any change, it will take time for patrons to get the hang of the new setup, but the rewards in efficiency are well worth the effort,” he wrote.
