The Milligan community was invited by the dining service team to participate in the biannual cafeteria survey from Feb. 25–March 3. The survey provided an overview of how students and faculty and staff feel about the service and food in the cafeteria.
According to Cory Edmundson, the food services director at Milligan, around 200 people participated in the survey, including students, visitors, faculty and staff and some guests from Hopwood visiting the caf on Sundays.
“This year our scores were a lot higher than they have been in the past, so it was a very good survey,” said Edmundson.
A lot of the positive comments in the survey described the team as very friendly and helpful. The top-rated staff member was Joseph Veeder, known as “Joe,” who knows students’ names and greets everyone with a big smile.
The cook-to-order bars also received positive feedback because students enjoy the variety. They requested that these bars run more often, but Edmundson explained that he wants to avoid burnout and keep these bars special.
There were also negative comments about dirty dishes, which Edmundson said is a result of the fast pace of serving over 400 people. To solve this problem Edmundson ordered presoak detergent for the silverware and raised awareness with the employees about checking the plates more thoroughly before they go out.
“Not only are plates dirty, but especially knives, forks and spoons. I would wish for more hygiene in the caf,” said sophomore Florian Quast.
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Another complaint mentioned multiple times was the variety of fruit. Fruit is very popular right now, according to Edmundson, and students want more options to choose from.
There was also a strong request for more protein, as more than half of the people who eat in the cafeteria are athletes. A step into the right direction is more chicken, eggs and bacon in the salad bar.
“A thing we’re looking at for the future is maybe getting away from the casseroles and putting more protein out there,” said Edmundson.
The highest meal ranked this semester is breakfast, which is unusual because lunch and dinner typically rank higher. What may have helped breakfast become so popular is Greek yogurt, which was requested by many students in the past, Edmundson said.