Islander Dining has made some adjustments for students as the new semester begins. While students have expressed confusion and frustration, management explains why changes are being made and invites students to share their input.

Students were met with changes as they ventured to dining locations across campus this semester. One of these changes is the new Boost app, which is a new way for students to mobile order and easily pick up their food. A student explains “I haven’t used it a lot, but I do like it. Last semester it was difficult trying to figure out how to order ahead with GET and I don’t think Dine On Campus let you order ahead.” New changes can also come with some new challenges. When asked about the new mobile ordering system, Jonathan Baez, TAMU-CC student, stated “When it comes to the new Boost app, it is very innovative in terms of how we can get our food, but where there is a pro, there is a con.” He also addresses, “Many of the workers, which are student staff, are getting overwhelmed with the bombardment of orders from the app.”

Another change includes Islander Dining To-Go being rebranded into Market Cafe. Students can now find more retail grab-and-go options at this location, such as Lunchables, Ramen, candy, and more. This area went from using the meal swipe currency to meal trade or dining dollars due to the new retail items. A student chimed in on how the change has impacted them, saying “It’s definitely forced me to dine in a lot more than I have in the past. I have sensory issues and social anxiety so being in the dining hall for long periods of time is exhausting.” Many students may have shorter lunch breaks or get overwhelmed in crowded spaces for extended periods of time. Jack Spurlock, Chartwells Marketing Manager, recommends using the ongoing to-go program, Ozzi To-Go boxes, to fulfill their to-go needs within meal swipes. “Get the reusable containers and use the meal swipe to go into the dining hall, fill it up for a meal, leave, come back, swap it out, and keep it going. So it’s more or less there was an addition to the to-go program rather than replacing the to-go program.” Spurlock states. 

Jennifer Crawford, Chartwells General Manager also addressed student concerns about changes to the grill section within Islander Dining Hall. Previously, the grill’s menu options were all available daily, but when the changes came into play, the options were limited. However, after meeting with one of the students a week after the changes were made and listening to their feedback, Islander Dining decided to revert back to the grill offering burgers and chicken on a daily basis. This will begin once the necessary food items arrive. “The station looks large but there’s not a lot of storage there. So then we have to worry about if we have students who don’t eat beef, everything’s kind of stored together. So how do we separate that out to make sure that we’re accommodating everybody’s dietary needs?” Crawford explains. She continues to say “So right now, it seems a little basic and it’s just going an evolving station over the semester.”

Both Crawford and Spurlock expressed they always want to hear student feedback on how the dining program can be revised and improved. To help them get vital insight, students can leave detailed comments in the Happy or Not kiosk on the way out of the dining hall, Dine On Campus, or by texting (361) 228-4980.