By Wynn McDonald, Features Editor
Bellarmine’s food service operations are surging forward with original ideas and a fresh approach to on-campus dining for the spring semester.
Among the new features in 2019 are the Grab&Go boxed lunch program in Café Ogle, special culturally themed meals in UDH for Black History Month and an updated menu offering variety in Palio.
The changes were made as part of a continuing effort by Sodexo and the Student Government Association to stay in touch with the diverse needs and interests of the Bellarmine community.
“It’s the beginning of another semester, another new year, and we’ve got a lot of new stuff in the works,” said BU Director of Food Services Louis Gornick.
Gornick, a longtime Sodexo employee and veteran of the food industry, is starting his second semester at Bellarmine. After spending the last few months getting to know the campus, he and his staff are putting an emphasis on flexibility and variety for student dining.
The Grab&Go program offers just that.
Started in December 2018, Grab&Go allows students with busy schedules to pre-order boxed lunches — complete with an entrée, drink, and two sides — and pick them up in Café Ogle in the morning for the cost of one meal swipe.
According to Bellarmine junior and SGA Food Service Committee Chair Emily Compton, the idea was crowdsourced.
“A bunch of people were complaining that their meal plans didn’t work with their schedule, or they were running out of flex (dollars),” Compton said. “So we decided to think of a way where they could use their meal swipes differently.”
In addition to its collaboration with SGA, food services has worked closely with the Black Student Union and Identity and Inclusion Director Joe Frazier to schedule themed meals throughout the month of February. These meals will highlight different black cultures from around the world.
The meals will take place every Tuesday, beginning with Caribbean Islands cuisine on Feb. 5; African cuisine on Feb. 12; American soul food on Feb. 19; and a Mardi Gras celebration on Feb. 26. Each day will feature different spotlighted foods, as well as a centralized dessert table and informative decorations around UDH.
In Palio, there are new options in the works, as students will soon be able to choose from more than the usual grilled foods and wraps.
“We want to keep it more relevant,” Gornick said. “Green beans, breadsticks, lasagna, chicken pot pie. Just some more comfort food stuff, especially when it’s cold out.”
Amid these changes, Bellarmine is preparing for negotiations with Sodexo regarding its 10-year contract with the company that expires this spring. One way or another, changes are likely coming, according to Dean of Students Sean McGreevey.
“It’s exciting,” McGreevey said. “I think that, as we go to the table to negotiate with Sodexo, we know folks want more options. We know folks want different kinds of brands, (and) we know that folks want the option to do a less expensive meal plan as they move up.”
Although these discussions will occur at the corporate level, both Gornick and Compton expressed the importance of popular opinion when making such decisions.
“Student opinion is everything,” Compton said. “We can’t make any changes unless we know the needs that are out there.”
Students and staff are encouraged to submit ideas regarding food service on campus to the SGA suggestion box located in Horrigan Hall or attend one of the upcoming public food service forums on Feb. 7 (11 a.m. in Hillary’s) and Feb. 19 (8 p.m. in the Terzo Lounge).