As a result of student feedback from department and Student Government Association (SGA) collaborations, Shark Dining is opening the Fall 2017 semester with new dining options.
Replacing Chick-N-Grill, Pizza Loft, Training Table and Food Bar are four new venues planned and designed by Shark Dining called Chef’s Table, Roma’s Italian Kitchen, World Market and Innovation Kitchen. Amidst these changes, Juiceblendz and Flight Deck will also be adjusting their menus and offering new items to students based on their feedback.
“The biggest thing we’ve heard is we need variety. I don’t know how much we could have done before with the previous concepts that we’ve had with national and regional brands,” said Stefanie Furniss, Director of Operations for Shark Dining.
Each of these new venues operates on meal segments that change daily. Therefore, not only will menus change at different mealtimes, but they will also vary each day. All of the changes and venues, excluding those from Juiceblendz which is an outside vendor, are created by Shark Dining. Furniss and Alex Lopez, Undergraduate Student President of SGA, both said that this was the better choice. Choosing outside vendors, according to Furniss, meant having to commit to static menus.
“By adding Chartwells-inspired vendors onto campus, students are going to get to have control. If we hate that we have just pasta [for example] we can get rid of that and put something that costs less money and is less of a hassle,” said Lopez, who, with other members of SGA, met with Furniss, Shark Dining staff and Business Services to discuss frustrations that had been communicated to them by the student body.
“They’re [the students’] experience needs to feel homely. I think that’s something that these concepts may convey a little better,” said Harrison C. Davies, Director of Marketing and Guest Services.
Furniss said that Shark Dining staff has increased for the fall semester in both front of the house and back of the house operations. She also said that price points for meals should stay around the same for students, although none of the new venues will use the weight-measuring system used at Food Bar and Training Table.
Both Shark Dining and SGA plan on receiving and analyzing student feedback to continue adjusting dining options to meet students’ needs. According to Lopez, SGA passed legislation to create Shark Dining Ambassadors, a specific group focused on collaborating with Shark Dining to communicate the needs and wants of students.
“SGA listens and can impact campus,” said Lopez. “The more students that respond to SGA surveys the more change we can make.”
Davies said that his role focuses on student engagement and feedback, and he plans to have surveys and focus groups throughout the semester. Furniss said she encourages students to provide feedback to the office to help improve their experience.
“If there’s a question, ask. If there’s a comment, share it,” said Furniss.
One way to do so is through the Text2Solve program, an anonymous communication system that lets students directly communicate any concern or question to Shark Dining administration, whether it be a shortage of napkins to larger issues such as poor service. Students can use the program by texting 954-398-5398.
Visual/Pull out Chart:
Chef’s Table: every-day favorites, traditional, home-style foods;
Roma’s Italian Kitchen: full Italian cuisine with pastas and original recipes;
World Market: international foods to represent various flavors and cooking styles;
Innovation Kitchen: dedicated to upcoming food trends with gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian options;
Flight Deck: the same atmosphere you love with new items such as jumbo butterfly shrimp, red beans and rice and chicken nuggets;
Caption for photos (Credit J. Kopec): These images were taken in early August as Shark Dining prepared to launch the new venues in the fall.
Caption for Hours of Operation Chart (With permission from S. Furniss): Given to us by Shark Dining, here are the new hours of operation for every dining choice on ca
