Although it continues to lose money, Dartmouth Dining Services is doing significantly better financially than it did in the past two years and is close to breaking even.
DDS Director Tucker Rossiter said strong sales performances in the Summer and Fall terms are coinciding with increased the popularity of DDS among students.
"Collis is beginning to come back as a really popular place," Rossiter said. Although he said it is too early to determine the long-term success of additions like stir-fry, omelets and waffles, Rossiter said he is happy with student reaction so far.
David Gacioch '00, who serves on the DDS Advisory Board, said he thinks student reaction has been "largely positive after an initial period of adjustment."
With the new menu options, the changes to the formerly cramped seating area and the new meal plan, Rossiter said the Advisory Board, which consists of eight students and three DDS administrators, hopes to make "students more interested in what Collis has to offer."
Rossiter said making the Collis menu more mainstream will help to shed its image as a specialized cafeteria. As a result, he said he hopes students who used to eat regularly at Food Court or Homeplate will also consider Collis as a realistic alternative.
But not all students are enthusiastic about the changes.
"I was a fan of the old Collis, I liked all the random food that I guess no one else liked," Pieter Ott '98 said.
The Lone Pine tavern is also undergoing significant changes after a change in management this fall.
"The tavern has always lost money," Rossiter said, adding that he hopes to turn it into a profit-making venture.
Although Lone Pine is currently open four days a week to save money, Rossiter said he wants to make it popular enough that demand will keep it open five days a week.
He said he hopes Lone Pine's new liquor license will also lead to financial improvement, as the beer and wine license will now allow 17-year-olds to enter the tavern.
All operations now have student supervisors.
"We talk about a lot of things, and the main feeling is that we always need to be looking for something new," he said.
The Advisory Board is meeting with student employees who want to be involved with changes at Lone Pine, Rossiter said, in order to improve the menu and the speed of service.
Rossiter said that since DDS considered student input in its recent changes to meal plan options, he hopes the student body will accept the loss of some services.
"They had a voice in what was happening." he said
