Seton Hall’s Gourmet Dining Services announced updates at a recent SGA meeting in response to students’ suggestions.
Brian Conway, the Regional Dining Director of GDS, mentioned there is a new executive chef on campus, a new Asian station, extended hours for the salad bar, a new coffee station and new vegan selections.
“This is the students’ dining program and we are here to make the changes that they want to see,” Conway said. He expressed the importance of feedback coming from the student body to help inspire the dining hall’s changes.
Sandwiches can now be ordered to go, rather than students having to make them. They also added a sandwich of the day offered at the deli station, Conway said.
“We previously surveyed the student body, and one of the dining options that they wanted to see more of was our Asian food,” Conway said. Sushi is now also available at night for students.
When it comes to hours, Conway explained how students have been asking for more dining options during the “in-between” hours of lunch and dinner. This has led to the extension of the salad bar being open during that time, and the feature station being open an extra hour after lunch.
The orange juice machine is still not working, which Conway explained was due to missing parts. A hand-pressed orange juice machine will be available for use.
Conway said GDS is trying to be more active on social media as well to garner more student feedback and share information about these changes.
“Social media is the main way students receive and share news and, in this case, news about their dining program,” Conway said. “It is also a way for us to promote all the great programs and people that we have here.”
One of the new programs is Lucci’s Love, where a woman named Lucci sits with students and talks with them in the dining hall. Conway also added that GDS is co-sponsoring Hispanic Heritage Month and that they are looking to work with more cultural clubs to add “more flair” to the dining hall.
Conway expressed that student feedback is what GDS is looking for to keep improving the dining hall. Students can submit their feedback through the GDS website’s ChatBack service, the dining with the directing series and the suggestion box.
“This is your dining program, we are here for you,” Conway said. “Students and student feedback are the main driving forces with any changes we make in the dining hall.”
