SU Dining shares social media outreach efforts, catering updates at SGA
SU Dining Services announced an expansion of grab-and-go options and increased social media updates to keep students informed at SGA’s Monday meeting. The team also announced changes to delivery fees for campus catering. Dana Kim | Staff Photographer
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Members from Syracuse University’s Dining Services highlighted changes to dining halls and campus eateries during the Student Government Association’s Monday meeting as a part of its department speaker series.
Dining Services staff said SGA President German Nolivos and his team met with the department to discuss student concerns, including how to submit a catering request and dining account costs.
Dining Services is looking to use social media to share updates with students, including the addition of a pastry chef and new menu options such as açaí smoothies, staff said.
Interim Director of Campus Dining Carrie Frobe highlighted the grab-and-go options at campus eateries, explaining that there’s a wide variety of options allowing for students with dietary restrictions to enjoy the services as well.
“It’s all done here in house and tastes really good,” Frobe said.“As someone who’s gluten free, I find it easier for me to eat grab-and-go items than I did last year.”
When the floor opened for questions, SGA Student Advocate Alani Henderson asked what Dining Services is doing to ensure quality control over meals and how it planned on “living up” to the expectations and standards set in its presentations.
Associate Vice President of Auxiliary Services Cheryl Fabrizi said leaders are expected to work with staff and aim to keep dining halls consistent, as “consistency really leads to satisfaction.”
There have also been changes to delivery fees for catering, Stephanie Gould, SU’s director of Campus Catering, said. Campus Catering provides food and beverages for SU events and is the university’s only authorized catering service.
Currently, the delivery fee for orders placed Monday through Friday between 8 a.m to 5 p.m., is $30. The fee for orders placed outside of these hours, including the weekend, is $50.
Moving forward, Gould said the office is switching to a percentage system. During its regular operating hours, the delivery fee would be 10% of the catering total or $30, whichever is less. Outside of the normal hours, the fee increases to 20% of the total or $50.
Gould compared the new delivery fees with food delivery services like GrubHub and DoorDash, adding that Campus Catering prices are cheaper per serving.
Campus Catering is also now using an ordering system called CaterTrax. The tool allows SU students to place catering orders, ranging from “Deli Delights” to “Table Linens,” at more affordable prices and can be delivered anywhere on campus.
“You guys set up, you break down, you take care of everything for the event,” Gould said.
Gould, Fabrizi and Frobe all emphasized the importance of student feedback, collaborating with the Office of Student Engagement and increasing the number of chefs on campus. Frobe said when she first started working at SU over two years ago, there was only one executive chef — now, there are four.
“That’s really important to know, that we continue to add to our team to bring that expertise to be able to address some of (your) needs,” Frobe said.
Other Business:
- SGA approved two funding requests for its Fall Into Action initiative, along with a request for a Rage Room service for Mental Health Awareness Week.
- The association introduced seven new bills. One discussed bylaw revisions for SGA and two focused on stipends for SGA’s deputy and executive officers. These bills will be voted on at next week’s meeting.
- Alexa De Los Santos was confirmed as the class of 2029’s student representative for Syracuse University’s Alumni Association.
