Georgetown students took part in small group discussions this past week in Leo’s to share their thoughts with each other and independent consultants about dining around campus. These talks come as the university is rolling out new promotions and changes to dining services this semester.
On Sept. 11, students received an email from Joelle Wiese, associate vice president of auxiliary business services, about focus groups that took place over the past week. Wiese wrote in the email, “the purpose of this engagement is to evaluate our current dining program, the meal plan structure and the overall approach to all dining on campus.”
According to Nicolette Moore, secretary of dining and auxiliary services for the Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA), the university brought in an independent firm named Envision to talk to students about the dining options.
Hannah Wingett (COL ’19) said her focus group comprised of just seven freshmen students and a consultant from Envision who took notes as they spoke. Wingett noted that the groups addressed issues such as “a need for more variety of foods, especially healthy ones and less starch heavy vegetarian options, why the meal plans and Flex Dollars do not rollover, and a discussion of the dining plans for first years.”
While Wingett’s group was comprised of all freshman, Moore explained that there were around thirteen groups total, divided by year, in order to get a wide perspective from students. “I think Auxiliary Services is really trying to do this in a more holistic way, we are really excited to work with them. Leo’s is only a portion of it. Do we need a another location? Is there a hole in dining, either in location or type of food that we don’t have and students want?” Moore said.
These groups come at a time when Dining Services is pushing the purchase of meal plans, primarily through promotions advertised on posters around campus as well as the Dining Services Facebook and Twitter pages. For example, upperclassman purchasing a meal plan were entered to win a student section ticket to the men’s basketball home opener and season tickets, while the “Three for Free” deal offered gift cards for Starbucks and COSI also if one purchased a meal plan. The first “Meal Plan Appreciation Dinner,” a special plated dinner open to meal plan holders, was also held last week in partnership with Spoon University.
According to Wiese and Adam Solloway, marketing manager for Aramark at Georgetown, a new Executive Chef from the Ritz Carlton Georgetown has been hired this semester. Additionally new dining options have been added, including supplements to Grab & Go, such as different salads and sandwiches as well the introduction of a daily station in the main hall with specialty dishes both lunch and dinner. To address vegetarian/vegan student needs, more simple and whole grain dishes are supplementing the Vegetarian/Vegan section, and vegan breads are now available in the Market POD in the Pre-Clinical Science building.
Apart from the actual meals in Leo’s, meal plans themselves have undergone change starting this semester. According to Moore, sophomores are now allowed to buy the 180 meal block plan.
Moore said that this change came as a result of discussions from the Dining Committee, a group meeting biweekly open to any student who wants to discuss dining service related issues.
According to the Georgetown Dining website, the 180 meal block plan is less expensive than the weekly plan with 14 meals, and about $260 more expensive than the weekly plan with ten meals. However, Moore said, “As a sophomore, you should have the freedom to pick what you want, to say ‘I don’t want to be bound by 10 or 14 meals a week.’ That was something that everyone on the Committee was really adamant about, and something we thought the student body would really appreciate.”
According to Wiese and Solloway, the change gives students more freedom in their dining options. “We’re always trying to add more value and flexibility to a meal plan and are in the process of introducing additional “meal exchange” specials similar to the Super Bowl takeout pizza promotion we ran last year,” they wrote in an email to the Voice.
“We only grow if we get new perspectives,” Moore said. “You’ve most likely complained about dining at some point, and the next year or so is probably going to be a big year, as far as new developments happening on campus.
