Campus Students Demand More Food Options
Fresno City College offers students two sources for food: the Campus Cafe and the Pacific Café. Are these two sources sufficient enough to feed the appetites of the student body as well as those of the faculty?
Eleazar Resendez, a student at Fresno City, claims that it is sufficient.
“I like the idea of having two simple places,” said Resendez. He recognizes the few options the campus offers but added, “we do not need to expand because those people here are going to transfer somewhere else bigger.”
Pacific café, right next door to the bookstore, offers a place to buy an “oriental style” meal, snacks and beverages. The Campus Cafe, located across the bookstore, is maintained by TAHER, a contract food service management company.
TAHER food options include fresh breakfast, lunch and dinner. Anita Handy, Food Service director, buys local in order to maintain its menu fresh and healthy.
“Its local, its fresh! ..I’ve been trying to partner with Island Oasis because they have healthy protein shakes,” Handy said.
Handy is pushing to expand healthy alternatives i.e. exchanging an energy drink for a boost from a shake.
Partnering with big food chains may have a costly outcome – thinning the wallets of students and faculty.
Anita Handy has worked with TAHER since it has arrived at Fresno City College and worked with the previous company as well. Handy mentioned her previous relations with big food chains like Pizza Hut.
Handy adds, “If we do not partner with the students and the staff, we will not be successful here.. the company before tried Pizza Hut and all that stuff, and that never worked because everything becomes expensive.”
A new feature the Campus cafe has incorporated this semester is ordering through the app Tapingo. TAHER has linked itself with this source in order to allow students to order food ahead of time via phone, to be ready for pick up.
Handy said, “sometimes students only have a couple minutes during class, they are always doing these things on their phones, why not order your food? .. it saves your time, its for your convenience.”
For details on this app ask a Campus Café employee.
Due to there being only two major food options on campus students have to rely on the businesses within the vicinity. The Associated Student Government recommends students that are eating off campus to purchase an Associated Student Body card which would enable them to receive discounts at certain locations.
Daniel Melchor,ASG President said, “We are working on getting discounts at even more locations.”
http://www.therampageonline.com/news/2014/09/03/students-demand-more-food-options/
