At the beginning of the 2005 Fall semester, many found the cafeteria almost unbearable, but luckily Guilford dining services has made a few much-needed improvements. Since so many students had become unsatisfied with the Guilford food services, the cafeteria and The Underground have added a few new dining choices – an oft-requested improvement to the cafeteria.

Two important changes were implemented in the cafeteria while students were away for fall break. First, the cafeteria decided to include nutrition statistics for every dish being served. At first it was frightening to observe how unhealthy many of the items are in the cafeteria. However, this provides students the data they need to create a much healthier diet because now they can determine which items actually are healthy.

A new food service has also been introduced to the cafeteria. Beyond the exhibition cooking station and pizza, there is now a sandwich station, at which two cafeteria staff members make toasted sandwiches. The sandwich station has a variety of meats, cheeses, and breads; the possible variations are numerous indeed.

I believe that these new improvement are the first steps in the creation of a decent school cafeteria. Many schools have multiple stations like our pizza, sandwich, and exhibition cooking stations. If our cafeteria expands and adds more of these stations, such as a pasta station, our school could quickly move up the ranks in terms of cafeteria ratings.

The other on-campus restaurant is The Underground. The Underground actually has very good hamburgers and grilled chicken sandwiches. However, until recently students without Quaker Cash had to pay cash for these items.

Prior to fall break, the only menu items students could purchase from The Underground using the meal plan were the sunrise muffin for breakfast and a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch and dinner. Since fall break, The Underground serves a chicken, lettuce, and tomato sandwich (the CLT) and a few other choices, including a “Grab and Go” option for students in a hurry.

The inclusion of these new choices is the first step in improving The Underground. Unfortunately I do not believe it is enough. One idea is for The Underground to resurrect the “two-swipe burger”. Despite costing two swipes, this would add another option, which I believe would quickly become the most popular choice at The Underground.

I do believe that the Underground and the cafeteria are moving in the right direction in terms of improving their food and their food variety. However, if they think these changes are enough they are gravely mistaken. The two food services need to continue augmenting their menus throughout the remainder of this year by adding more unique items and services. Our cafeteria has the potential to improve tremendously. Hopefully food services is aware of the opportunities.