Dean Masuccio, the director of dining facilities, has introduced some new changes. New food choices have been introduced, food stations have changed the way they operate and the seating arrangements have changed as well. While some changes are welcomed by students, others are not. 

Masuccio started in this position September 2018. Since then he installed a few minor changes in the spring and then started the bigger changes in the summer as preparation for fall 2019. In Holmes Dining Room, he introduced a new station called sesame ginger, which includes fresh stir-fry to order, fresh ramen, fresh poke and a daily teriyaki special. He also introduced a daily comfort special which includes vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. Pop up diners is a big thing that has been introduced to Holmes Dining Room as well, according to Masuccio.

In terms of breakfast, Eggs & Co. has been added which serves all day breakfast. Masuccio’s focus this school year is on introducing more fresh produce. He is also focused on sustainability efforts. Reusable dining ware has been introduced within Holmes Dining Room,  according to Masuccio. 

New changes in the Central Marketplace include digital menu screens along with menu adjustments. Taglianno’s Pizza now only makes pizzas in one size to make the process faster. The process of ordering burgers has also changed at Lion’s Rock Broiler. A new nightly special has been added to Lion’s Rock Broiler to make up for there no longer be a night special at Holmes Dining Room. The menu of El Gato Loco has been modified along with how the ordering process works, according to Masuccio. 

Gang Wang, a junior majoring in aviation management, is on his third quarter working for El Gato Loco. The food stations are not as good as before, according to Wang. El Gato Loco use to allow people to put meat, beans, rice, cheese, sauces, toppings and vegetables in the quesadillas. Now only beans, rice, meat, and cheese are allowed inside, according to Wang. 

Natalie Rae, a sophomore majoring in Spanish, is not happy about the new process of ordering quesadillas. It takes just as long as the old way, according to Rae. The quesadillas end up messier as well because all the extra ingredients have to be on the side. A change she would like to see is having healthier options. 

“We should have a fresh food market, because in the SURC there isn’t really any options for that except the salad bar and it’s kind of frustrating,” Rae said. 

In Central Market and Holmes, changes to the seating arrangements have been made. In Holmes Dining Room, the big round tables were removed to increase the seating capacity for orientation, according to  Masuccio. This change stayed for the fall to promote communal eating. The round tables are now in Central Marketplace to give a cleaner look. The napkins in Central Marketplace have been replaced with fully recyclable, compostable, non-bleached napkins. Napkin dispensers have also been placed on the tables, according to Masuccio.  

Debrah Rolfe, a sophomore majoring in theater studies, is disappointed in some of the changes made. One change is that you can’t build your own burger anymore. She is happy about the new late-night rotating options and the fresh fruits offered in Holmes Dining Room. Rolfe also appreciates how there are napkin bins on select tables and how the circular tables allow for more room.

“Another good thing about the circular tables is that it promotes interaction between people and fosters community,” Rolfe said.  

Future plans for the dining include more health and wellness options, according to Masuccio. Use of technology is also going to be increased to help with transaction and wait time. Ideally the changes would be introduced in winter. Identifiers will also be added to the digital screens to showcase top allergens in the meals they are preparing, according to Masuccio. 

 “You’ll start to notice not only at the SURC but across campus some of the cool things we’re introducing because we are approaching this as a campus wide initiative,” said Masuccio. “I think the SURC is the most focal point because of the geographical location but as you go across the campus and visit the other dining locations you will notice small enhancements over time that we are all excited about.”