Suggestion Responses

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Suggestion Responses

Responses to unsigned suggestions - if you submitted your e-mail address, you will receive a personal response.

through 4/18/13

April 18, 2013

"A couple of weekends ago, I tried the chorizo & egg scramble at The Cooler for a late brunch, and it was so delicious! Is it possible to try and offer this chorizo & egg scramble at the Marketplace on weekends (since the cooler often doesn't open until later on weekends)? I also love it when the Marketplace offers the corned beef for brunch! It's so tasty!"

Thanks for the suggestion. The Marketplace had something similar - breakfast burritos - both Saturday and Sunday last weekend - hope you had a chance to enjoy them! We'll probably rotate in a chorizo scramble this semester, or if not, look for it in the fall. The Cooler will continue to bring you chorizo and eggs on Saturdays, alternating between meat and vegetarian versions (made with soyrizo).

"Sometimes the lettuce that is out at the salad bar has started to turn red. While I have read that this is not yet dangerous to eat, it still scares me to eat it. I think that it is definitely a sign of being too old to eat. Please try to provide fresher salad greens. Thanks!"

While we prefer to clean and chop our lettuces in-house for maximum freshness, sometimes at the busiest periods of the year we simply don't have the labor resources. We then turn to pre-chopped lettuces. The romaine...

through 4/10/13

April 10, 2013

[Tiger Cooler] "Thanks for having sliced jicama ready to go! It is a very refreshing, tasty snack!
It is great to hear that you enjoy the jicama, along with the other fruit/veggie snack items we have available. Beginning on Friday 4/12, we will be adding in the Tajin chili/limon seasoning that was intended for these items from the start. We hope this makes those items that much more enjoyable.

"The minestrone soup was great today [4/8]- thanks!"

That was our classic vegan Minestrone - also gluten free!

"My friend and I agree - we love gnocchi!!! Thanks so much for having it! We would eat it every week! Also, the mushrooms you served with it were great as well."

The Gnocchi was served with Julienne Chicken Marinara or Sauteed Mushrooms at Homestyle Lunch on 4/9. Good news! Look for Gnocchi as an option at the made-to-order (Pasta) Station both Tuesday April 23 and Thursday April 25 at lunch!

"Oh my goodness!! The rissoto was absolutely amazing!!!! Please please make it the same way again soon!"

The vegan Sweet Potato Risotto was served for Homestyle dinner on 4/9. Stop by Homestyle for a similar recipe on Tuesday April 23 at lunch - Butternut Squash Risotto (v)

through 3/27/13

March 27, 2013

"The marketplace served an awesome pizza last year during founders' day (the one with bacon, blue cheese, feta, etc.) and i was wondering if you guys have thought about bringing it back?"

Yes! You will see that pizza again in April, most likely at the Founders Day brunch on Saturday 4/20. We might also serve it as a special sometime prior to that.

"You know what would be cool? A food truck that drives around campus at night (dorms, study places, etc.), like an ice cream truck, but serving healthy food, snacks, or meals while we study. The Coffee Cart or Cooler is pretty far for some dorms, and the selection is understandably limited. So a Tiger Truck would be awesome! I know this is pretty far fetched, but it's just a thought!"

Cool, yes. Far fetched, somewhat. There are actually a few food truck ideas floating around Oxy, and we're aware of quite a few other schools that own trucks. We wouldn't say it's entirely out of the question, but would require significant capital outlay, not to mention additional labor. It's good to dream...

through 3/10/13

March 10, 2013

[Tiger Cooler] "I feel like all the suggestions that are made are almost never implemented. What changes can we actually suggest?"

We're happy to have the opportunity to address this question. Suggestions are often difficult to implement at the Tiger Cooler due to a severe lack of SPACE - everything from storage to refrigeration to preparation to service space. The Cooler was designed and built as a limited menu operation for a significantly smaller student population, and has not been updated since 1997. That said, the Cooler staff do a great job of being responsive under such difficult circumstances. New menu items are often rotated in as specials, and we have added new vegan and gluten free items over recent months. The most frequent suggestion last fall - bulk condiment dispensers - has been implemented.

All suggestions are discussed at the weekly Campus Dining management staff meeting. Here's a list of some of the criteria we consider:

Is the item suggested available through one of our suppliers? If not...

through 2/28/13

February 28, 2013

"I think it would be cool if there was a grilled sandwich or a panini station. It could be where pasta/stir fry/omeletes are made, and you could offer different breads and sandwich fillings, including cheese so people could order grilled cheese sandwiches. Just an idea!"

We've tried this model over winter and summer breaks - it's quite popular, but the line moves VEEEERRRY slowly. Even with four panini machines going, we still couldn't keep up with the speed of service required to handle the regular school year meal rushes.

That said, we're serving Paninis at Rangeview Dinner this Saturday March 2! Come to the RV courtyard between 6pm and 8:30pm and enjoy Cuban, Chicken, Vegetarian or Vegan Paninis. A GF option will also be available.

"HAVE MORE QUINOA SALADS THEY ARE THE BEST EVER!!!!!!!!!! Every week at least! Seriously they are my favorite and I get so excited every time you have them!!!"

and

"Friday's specialty salad with eggplant and carrots tasted very good - please bring it back again!"

We hear you! The quinoa salads have gotten rave reviews. Highly nutritious, vegan and gluten-free...

through 2/15/13

February 15, 2013

"Please bring back my white lasagna on Fridays. That stuff was good."
It's back!!! Today - Friday 2/15.
"Hello. I am assuming that you prepare the vegan baked brownies, muffins, and cookies that go in the vegan case from boxed mixes. Which mixes do you use?"
Our vegan base baked good mixes are from "The Cravings Place"

"Will cream of wheat packets be restocked? Will there be soy yogurt parfait cups for breakfast again?"

Yes to both!

"Could the salad bar have dried cranberries and lentils as options?"

No to the cranberries - they are too pricey to offer on the salad bar. Cranberries are packed into portion cups and sold at the Grab & Go refrigerator at the center of the Marketplace. Lentils are a possibility - at least occasionally - the only challenge with lentils is we have to allocate labor to cook and chill them (not usually something we do for salad bar offerings).

Compliments of the week:

"The vegan mashed potatoes at Homestyle and the pumpkin soup on Tuesday were both very very good - thanks!"

"Thank you SO much for the vegan cookies. They are delicious! "

"Thank...

through 1/31/13

January 31, 2013

"Please bring back the Milton's multigrain bread. The breads currently available are not as good for sandwiches or toast."
-and-
"What happened to the whole wheat english muffins?! They are one of the best breakfast foods of all time, and I miss them dearly!"

Unfortunately Orowheat distributors (suppliers of all the breads we carried in retail packaging) discontinued deliveries to all customers except groceries and markets effective January 1, 2013. We had to interview and select a new primary bread distributor. We chose Galasso's: http://www.galassos.com/ We still also buy natural artisan breads from Bread Los Angeles http://www.breadlosangeles.com/, but they do not have the complete product line that we need. Neither company provides nutritional labeling on their packaging, because they are wholesale companies, and are not required to do so. That said, we are in the process of creating signage that includes the labeling, and hope to have this posted in the Marketplace and Tiger Cooler sometime next week.

Galasso's breads are all trans-fat free. Most, if not all, are vegan. The whole...

through 1/24/13

January 24, 2013

Update on Auntie Em's labeling (from 12/6 suggestion responses):
Auntie Em's products sold at the Coffee Cart and Tiger Cooler will soon have labels that use the same designations as Campus Dining: V (Vegan), VL (Vegetarian) and GF (Gluten-Free). We thank our local business partner for their efforts!

"I know it's break, and you probably will not be checking the suggestion box, but I saw these bars, and thought it would be awesome for you to start carrying them at Oxy. Please take a look and consider:
http://www.thatsitfruit.com/shopbuy-our-products/#"

-and-

"Hello!
These bars are really awesome, so I thought you may want to consider selling them at Oxy:
http://store.healthwarrior.com/product/Chia_Bars_Chocolate_Peanut_Butter_15_pack/64653.aspx
Thanks for the consideration!"

Both of these bars are available through our suppliers and we are willing to give them a try. The "Thats it" bars are now in stock at the Marketplace. The Health Warrior bars are on back order - if our supplier can obtain them they would arrive next week. Also check out the Cooler's new "Good & Natural" bars - coming soon.

through 12/14/12

December 14, 2012

"Hi Campus Dining! Thanks for all the great food! I have two suggestions which are both vegan related:
1) Don't put the tofu and the tuna next to each other in the salad bar-- often little bits of tuna end up in the tofu and it's hard to pick out
2) Mark each loaf of bread so that it's easily identifiable as vegan or gluten free-- something as easy as color-coded stickers on the loaves would do the trick, or simply writing (v) or (gf) in permanent marker. This would make it easier for students to pick out bread at the bakery and allow the sandwich station to show off all their options (and as it is, the sandwich station staff doesn't know which breads are which)."

We think you're absolutely right about the tofu/tuna proximity, and we'll make changes accordingly!

Regarding the bread, over the break we will update our signage as well as give staff members training on ingredients. We're also expecting some changes in the varieties of bread we will be offering, so look for the new signs.

"Thanks for the vegan balsamic veggie pizza - it was great!"

Glad you liked this new recipe!

"I think the Cooler should have Sriracha sauce available"

Unfortunately Sriracha only comes in really big bottles - big, expensive bottles. While the Marketplace carries Sriracha, we're not likely to expand this to the Cooler. We don't have space in the Cooler's teeny-tiny storeroom to add anything else, and the Cooler can't absorb the cost of another free condiment,...

through 12/6/12

December 6, 2012

"I am confused about the chili offered ready to go in the refrigerated section. It is labeled "vege." Is it vegetarian or vegan? There is stringy cheese looking strands in it, but I thought they may be soy cheese... Please label products clearly as vegan or vegetarian. The (v) or (vl) system at the Marketplace works well."

The Cooler's Vegetarian Chili, along with all of the other soups, comes from Auntie Em's Restaurant (just down the street). They produce their own labels for all of their products, and those labels include a list of ingredients. We're not sure whether what you saw was vegan or vegetarian - because their products and ingredients are subject to change. Our advice is to read the ingredients label, but we can and will ask if they would be willing to add the (v) (vl) to their labeling beginning next semester.

"Awesome sweet potato/butternut squash soup today! Also, my friends and I greatly prefer the vegan chili without the soy beef. And being able to get the bread bowl by itself (and, for example, fill it with soup from the soup station instead) would be a popular option."

Thanks for the compliment on the soup :-) As for the bread bowl, you are welcome to ask at Homestyle, and...