After many complaints from students following over-the-summer changes to dining hours, locations, and payment plans, Business Services responded in a community-wide email on Tuesday with policy adjustments addressing student concerns.
The email announced that multiple meal swipes will now be available to use in single trips to the Max Café, Lion’s Den, and Backstage Deli, and refunds have been issued to correct overcharging issues at the Max Café Grill, both of which, along with other changes, the college said came as a result of partnerships with students who shared their feedback.
“Making your dining experience work for you is our priority,” the email read. “We remain committed to offering a dining experience that provides you with quality food, reliable service, and good value.”
Since the beginning of September, many students have expressed frustration at the closing of the hot food Grill at the Max at 11 p.m rather than 12 a.m., but according to the email, hot items are available as grab-and-go until midnight going forward, even after The Grill’s cook-to-order service closes.
Additionally, some students attested to being limited to using one meal swipe per transaction before they were prompted to use Board Bucks for additional transactions at various campus dining locations, a policy they said had never been in place before. In a response statement last week to The Beacon, Business Services said the current and previous policy was to use only one swipe per meal period at à la carte and retail locations like the Max.
However, per Tuesday’s email announcement, students can now use multiple swipes for meal equivalency during the same meal period. The only limit on purchase behavior, it continued, will be meal plan balance, which is limited to 23 swipes per week on the Default Residential Meal Plan.
Additionally, the email said that a pricing error on four menu items at the Max Grill was corrected on Sept. 3, with refunds having already been processed for affected students.
The announcement’s list of new changes also included updates to Paramount Center’s vending machine payment methods which will now accept Board Bucks and ECCash in addition to credit and debit cards, and inclusion of healthy microwaveable meals and grab-and-go items in those facilities. Paramount Center’s primary dining facility, The Paramount Cafe, remains closed for renovations indefinitely.
“We will keep listening and adjusting,” the email said. “Your feedback directly shapes these improvements, and we are committed to ensuring dining works well for our community.”
