Assessing the proposed changes to Dartmouth Dining Services, students tend to favor the proposed changes to Food Court, but question the proposals for Full Fare and the Collis Cafe.
Negative student reaction to the DDS proposal to turn Full Fare into a dining hall that serves primarily chicken prompted Full Fare Manager Peter Shanahan to ask students for alternative ways to change Full Fare by Fall term.
At the fourth DDS "roundtable discussion" last week, DDS Director Pete Napolitano suggested that chicken might be the solution to declining sales at Full Fare. Other changes include expanding the grill and pizza sections of Food Court, adding a patio to Thayer Dining Hall, and various concept changes in Collis Cafe.
But students said they do not see an all-chicken Full Fare as such a panacea.
"Having all chicken will be a tough sale," Shanahan told The Dartmouth.
Student reaction to the proposal has been overwhelmingly negative, according to a BlitzMail message sent by Shanahan to the Full Fare mailing list which goes out to students who frequent Full fare.
"In the last week, I have overheard many comments concerning the future of Full Fare," Shanahan wrote. "None of them have been positive."
The chicken idea is merely being "thrown out to the public so as to initiate discussion," Shanahan said. "The idea for chicken came about because in reality we sell more of it than every other item combined."
DDS is still considering proposals but is trying to have a definite plan for the fall by mid-May, Shanahan said.
"We want the students to know what is going on before they go home for the summer," he said.
In his message to the Full Fare mailing list, Shanahan suggested that DDS could change Full Fare's name and alternate food items to boost sales.
"I think a main problem is the price to get in," Shanahan said. "In addition, the name 'Full Fare' has too much of a negative connotation on campus."
Full Fare must undergo a change, Shanahan said. The average count for lunch is 110 and dinner is 150, which is only 3.25 percent of the student population.
The proposal has not fared well with students.
Full Fare regular Andy Butterworth '99 expressed extreme displeasure at the idea of narrowing the menu.
"I like Full Fare because they always have something I want to eat and not just one or two items," he said. "There is always variety."
"Athletes, as well as those of us who like to eat a lot of pasta and salad and not pay a fortune for it, need an all-you-can-eat place that serves enough of a variety so that they do not get sick of it after a few weeks," Butterworth added.
Other students expressed concern about a one-dimensional Full fare.
"Full Fare has a core group of people who come every day," Steven Wampler '96, a Full Fare worker, said. "If you make the menu one dimensional, you will lose the core group."
Under the current system of punches students would not want to come to Full Fare merely for a $9 chicken dish, Wampler said.
"I think the only way to make such an one dimensional menu work would be to have all areas in Thayer a la carte," Wampler said.
In such a scenario, a student could walk between Food Court, Home Plate and a renamed Full Fare and select whatever food desired. This plan is under long-term consideration by DDS, Napolitano previously said at the roundtable discussion.
Initially, there may be more customers because students would want to try out the new Full Fare but until you have access to all areas there will be a lull, Wampler said.
"I would like to see Full Fare remain as similar as possible," Full Fare Area Manager Christina Eng '96. "I am not a fan of the pay-per-item eventual deal."
"The only reason that people do not want to come eat here is because the prices are too high," Full Fare Area Supervisor Nathan Cook '98 said.
It is a big mistake for them to eliminate Sunday brunch, he said.
The whole point of brunch it the idea that you can eat all that you want, Cook emphasized.
Athletes also frequent Full Fare because of the quantities of food they can eat, Gregory DiGennaro '96 said.
Students were generally in favor of DDS's changes for Food Court.
The patio is a very good idea, Eng said.
"I think it will be nice in the springtime when everyone wants to sit out on the green," Eng said. "It is nice to sit out of the dining area."
"The lines at the grill are ridiculous," Catherine Impastato '96 said.
The expansion of the pizza and grill sections would be a welcome change, she added.
At the Collis Cafe, DDS will eliminate the salad bar, entrees and deli. In place, DDS will add an expanded bakery section, gourmet coffees and fresh squeezed juices among other changes that are still under deliberation by DDS.
Most students said they oppose the elimination of Collis entrees.
"I would be against any changes," Impastato said. "Perhaps only small [changes] but not getting rid of the soups and entrees."
Some of the Collis menu may be strange, but at least 80 percent of it is good food, Impastato said. The meat at Collis is of a higher quality than at other delis, she claimed.
"Collis entrees are something important to the vegetarians on campus," Sean Donahue '96 said. "I eat there regularly because there is a good variety of vegetarian food cooked in a home style."
Collis is packed for lunch every day, Sally McCombs '97 said.
"I think that a lot of people are going to miss Collis for lunch," she said. "I would rather it were open for lunch and closed for dinner. I'm sure they make money at lunch."
Whereas Collis seems to have a large following for lunch, there does not seem to be as many people interested in dinner there, she said.
"I would rather that they kept it the same," McCombs added.
