Margaret BauerFor the first time in at least four years, Washington University’s catering service, Bon App‚tit, has not made the top-ten list for the Princeton Review’s college food rankings.
According to Kathy Carmody, general manager for Bon App‚tit, the University’s absence from the rankings is the result of a lack of student contribution to the survey.
“We don’t think that the Princeton Review received enough responses from students [to rank us],” said Carmody.
Last year Bon App‚tit came in eighth place for best overall college food, following a first place ranking the previous year. This year’s number-one ranked college for “great campus food,” Wheaton College in Illinois, also uses Bon App‚tit and is usually the University’s number-one rival in dining services.
Undergoing a transformation from last year, Bon App‚tit has opened a new caf‚ on Hilltop Campus and swapped old items from last year’s menu for new cuisine in order to better cater to student demand.
“We’re making changes for students that they will be happy with,” said Carmody.
As many students have noticed, the main caf‚s on campus no longer serve Freshen’s smoothies.
“We did taste tests last spring at Hilltop Bakery, Ursa’s and Bear’s Den,” said Rick Turner, director of operations for Bon App‚tit. “We had an opinion ballot for students to fill out, [and] out of 500 responses, only five were [in favor of] Freshen’s. The responses were overwhelmingly for Kaldi’s.”
However, the new Kaldi’s smoothies, which are served at Ursa’s, Hilltop Bakery and Whispers Caf‚, have been received with mixed results.
“I liked [the smoothies] last year better,” said senior Rachel Mercer. “They were more fruit-oriented.”
Sophomore Anne Greenberg agreed.
“I think the Kaldi’s smoothies taste too sweet, but they’re starting to grow on me,” she said.
As the newest caf‚ on campus, Whispers has surged in popularity since its opening last May. Conveniently located in Olin Library, Whispers is usually packed with students at all hours.
“[Whispers] will probably provide a much needed distraction from studying in the library,” said sophomore Joe Thomas.
Whispers, which offers traditional Bon App‚tit menu items such as salads, muffins and fresh fruit, also serves bubble tea and Kaldi’s coffee and smoothies.
Although he enjoys the food selection, junior Ethan Arpi found fault with the enormous amount of waste products that customers at Whispers Caf‚ produce.
“I’m not into all of these disposable products,” said Arpi. “[Whispers] should have reusable plates like Center Court.”
Even Bear’s Den has changed the options on its menu. Both the salad and pasta bars have new small and large sizes. According to Turner, the new salad sizes are smaller in response to student complaints that the salads last year were too large.
“The (new) containers [also] ensure consistency in portion sizes that match the nutritional information on our Web site,” he said. “The salads were [also] underpriced to begin with [last year], so instead of raising prices we went with a smaller salad size.”
The burrito bar has also undergone a price change. Instead of charging extra for different condiments such as guacamole and sour cream, Bear’s Den now charges the same price for all burritos.
The menus at all Bon App‚tit dining locations are always open to suggestions and complaints. To voice your opinion, look for the comment cards placed around each eating area or visit the Dining Services Web site.