Dinning hall keeping it fresh

The managers and directors of Stevens Dining Hall spend more time planning meals than students think.

The cooks at the dining hall are required to take tallies on every item they serve at their station.  For the entrees on what is known as the "home-line", tallies are based on portions noted before serving.

"Without it, it would be a crap shoot," food production manager Tim Murawski said.

In the back office of the dining hall, Murawski spends most of his day developing meals for the weeks to come.  He bases the meals off a four-week rotation.  But Murawski is constantly moving things around to account for foods that do and do not work.

"Nothing stays the same, things keep changing," he said.

When asked about the popularity comparison between the consistent hamburger and pizza stations and the "home-line", Director Adam Vigue believes it is spread evenly.  Some students automatically go to the hamburgers and fries for a meal.

But something popular can be offered on the grill that draws students to eat from it, like the Philly-cheese steak sandwich.  In this case, Murawski is aware that the home-line will be less popular, no matter the meal.

"(We) try to have a complete meal on the home-line, basically you're going to have your home meal," Vigue said.

Vigue likes to make sure there is nothing too crazy on the home-line.  He prefers the meals to be very recognizable for students.

For example, the BBQ brisket of beef was offered with carrots and rice pilaf on the home-line.  The computer program with the food options Aramark uses also lists the nutritional facts per portion.  Then Murawski and his other co-workers print out these facts for every food at every meal.  But students may not look at them.

The brisket has 310 calories and 19 carbohydrates, the carrots has 60 calories and 7 carbs, and the rice pilaf ahs 170 calories and 30 carbs.  The meatball pizza has 310 calories and 34 carbs. 

Comparing the two meal choices, the home-line to the pizza and whatever else added with it, the home-style meal offers the healthiest food options on campus.

Even with the meals constantly changing and adapting to student popularity, variety may not be the concern to most.

"Variety isn't the problem, its quantity.  When there is something I want, they run out," said sophomore Joe Walsh.

The back office in the dining hall addresses this problem.  With the tallies always counting, it is easy to spot problems from a meal.