Starting this semester, there will be many changes to Taylor's dining services.
In the Hodson Dining Commons, the deli station will soon have a Subway-style line. The students will be able to order what they want, and the worker will make the sandwich. Then there will be ovens to toast the sandwiches if students desire.
"We understand that eating at the same place over and over and over gets very monotonous and you get tired of the food," Dining Services Director Nate Haugh said.
To solve this problem, students will soon be seeing something called "Concept Takeovers" in the Dining Commons.
This new idea will affect the Taquería and Chao stations. Once a month, the concept of these stations will be changed.
"It will just give us the opportunity to do something different and mix it up for students," Haugh said.
There are already multiple ideas currently in the works. One concept is called Eggheads, and every recipe at this station will contain eggs. Another concept, Za'tar, will be a hummus station.
Beginning in September, different concepts such as these will occasionally be replacing the Taquería and Chao stations. Every two weeks, the concept will change at Taquería. Two weeks later, a new concept will be at Chao.
These ideas have received good reactions from students who are already aware of the future changes.
"I think these are all really good changes that will add a lot of variety," junior Paige McNinch said.
Last Wednesday, Concannon's Bakery, a local bakery in Muncie, began delivering donuts to Taylor University. Donuts, along with other types of sweets, will soon be sold at the LaRita Boren Campus Center.
The bookstore in Boren is currently being considered as a new station space. Another deli concept with built-in convenience store will possibly be replacing the bookstore. Taylor Dining Services hopes that the store will include items such as soap, laundry detergent, toothpaste and more.
"We are always looking for ways to give the students more options," Haugh said. "We are here for them, and if you want something just come make suggestions. As long as it is something that kind of appeals to the masses, we will do everything we can to do those suggestions."
A couple of other changes have been made at the stations in Boren that are already in effect. Emma and Charlie's Pizza now offers two new options, a chicken bacon ranch pizza and a barbecue chicken pizza. Additionally, the Chick-Fil-A meals will no longer include fruit as part of a meal swipe due to rising costs for the University.
"We changed the produce vender, and fruit cost went up for us a lot," Retail Manager Andrew Fisher said.
A message concerning students' meal plans was included in the Announcements email sent out on July 30.
"We will only be offering the 10 meal block plan for $45 for employees and students who wish to purchase a meal plan for themselves and family members," the email read. "Our plan that offered 25 meals for $100 will no longer be available for purchase."
This message applies only to faculty, staff and commuting students. Meal plans for on-campus students have not changed.
If students have suggestions about dining, they can talk to someone in the Dining Services office inside the Dining Commons, email Nate Haugh or use the feedback box in the Dining Commons.
