With twenty totally different locations for college kids to eat throughout campus and 6 separate meal plans, DineSLU residential and retail areas are dedicated to serving 1000’s of scholars each day. College students with meals allergic reactions or dietary restrictions are welcomed as a part of that inhabitants. The suggestions from college students with dietary wants is a helpful solution to assess and enhance an important a part of the expertise at SLU.
Lia Basden, a sophomore communications pupil, shared her ideas on DineSLU and consuming with dietary restrictions. “My junior 12 months of highschool I used to be recognized with celiac illness, which is an autoimmune illness through which your physique can’t digest gluten,” stated Basden. Basden can be lactose illiberal and vegetarian and stated that the status of the dietary lodging at SLU was a significant a part of her school resolution. Basden struggled to search out eating choices final 12 months and defined that the Easy Servings station was usually the one place she was in a position to eat, as a consequence of cross-contamination and allergens. “They didn’t even serve breakfast at Easy Servings. Final 12 months I used to be all by myself for breakfast, and I used to be paying for a limiteless meal plan however I can solely use two swipes a day.”
Basden stated she would have additionally favored to see extra vegetarian choices, particularly protein-rich greens. Sophomore Drew Gibson, who has Crohn’s illness, echoed the sentiment. “DineSLU has a number of choices for college kids and makes certain college students have sufficient choices every day. Nevertheless, they don’t all the time have the most effective choices for these with dietary restrictions or don’t give sufficient meals, which makes it powerful on sure college students.” Gibson stated that whereas he feels DineSLU service is all the time distinctive, delivering constant choices for these college students needs to be a precedence.
One other space for potential enchancment was flexibility with meal plans and incapacity lodging for residential college students, as Basden stated it took a number of tries to get lodging with out an condo. “I believe probably the most irritating half is the truth that these different schools would have been worse. And I do know, once more, a part of it was COVID as a result of once I met with the dietician earlier than [the pandemic] she confirmed me the eating corridor they’d all types of prepackaged gluten-free meals. An important half is that I by no means bought sick from the meals, so clearly they do an excellent job coaching the employees and it was secure. Nevertheless, I all the time felt prefer it may’ve been higher.”
DineSLU Director of Operations Myron Bridges has supervised collegiate eating in 9 separate universities throughout 5 states and stated that his expertise of practically twenty years within the business has given him perspective. “As time evolves, the allergic reactions grow to be extra advanced. So you may’t simply say an individual with a gluten-free allergy or gluten-free want is in the identical basket with everybody” Bridges stated. DineSLU has been steadily growing the variability and availability of its choices, with the aim of speaking with college students and prioritizing security measures. DineSLU has a variety of allergen-free meals and employs stringent meals supply, meal preparation, and utensil cleansing measures to keep away from cross-contamination. “We construct meals earlier than they even contact inhabitants in a secluded space within the kitchen, so it’s not over the place everyone’s cooking all the pieces else,” Bridges stated. “Every little thing is color-coded as a measure as a result of we’ve bought 1000’s of individuals going by each day.” At present, DineSlu is working to extend vegan and vegetarian choices by loading plant-based meals into retail areas.
Bridges stated that the DineSLU group is actively engaged on establishing relationships and contours of communication with college students who’ve dietary wants. An necessary a part of the method for these college students is assembly with the dietician Donna Foy and himself to create customized meal planning. Assembly with dad and mom and college students provides DineSLU the flexibility to make meals on request weekly for college kids with dietary wants or meals allergic reactions. DineSLU affords versatile weekly schedules for these college students to select up meals in between lessons. Bridges usually outlets for the components himself, shopping for groceries or ordering meals to suit any meals allergy or dietary restriction. “After I’m within the eating corridor, I need to really feel like I’m at residence. We in all probability have about 14 college students, who all have menus constructed and we construct the meanings for them” Bridges stated. “We’ve a few college students that may textual content me and provides me a listing of issues for dinner after which our culinary group places it collectively for them to select it up on the Easy Servings counter.”
COVID-19 was an added problem to serving college students with dietary restrictions. DineSLU’s provide chain and staffing necessities had been put to the check throughout the top of the pandemic. Bridges stated multi-state shipments and buying supply drivers had been tough at instances, however these had been assessments DineSLU was decided to beat – notably when it involved college students with dietary wants. “One of many final issues I would like is for eating companies to be a damaging expertise as part of the school expertise,” Bridges stated. “I would like college students to be at liberty to achieve out by textual content, in individual, or nearly. We’re pleased to fulfill and make it possible for we’re aiding and helping our college students.”
