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 11/29/12

November 29, 2012

"As a main dining location for nearly all Oxy students, the Cooler encourages unsustainable practices. Nearly everything purchased in the cooler is unnecessarily packaged. Whether you are buying carrots or slice of pizza, each student is forced to throw away something. I understand the Cooler does not have the capacity to provide reusable plates, cups, etc. without a dishwasher, but the Cooler can make an effort to provide condiments in bulk. I ask that you please put an end to one-time disposable ketchup, mustard, ranch, and mayo packets by installing the same condiment pumps that are located in the Marketplace. Thank you."

We received 9 suggestions that were identical or similar to this one - hmm, looks like a group effort! We hear you, and we're on it! Unfortunately providing bulk dispensers involves a few logistical challenges (if it didn't we'd have done it already, wouldn't we?). We're preparing a proposal to the sustainability fund for the equipment we need. The dispensers are free, but we need a cabinet with counter top to store and display the condiments. And the cabinet will need to be put somewhere in the dining room, because the servery is too congested. A few seats will be lost. We hope to manage this change next semester.

"Very good Meatless Monday meal yesterday! And the quinoa soup was great too!"

Meatless Monday seems to have a big following - thanks for your comments!

"I think it would be a great idea if y'all got rid of the tray holder...

through 11/15/12

November 15, 2012

"Today's [11/14 lunch] menu has fish at 3 stations, can we get some more diversity? Having fish featured at the grill, homestyle and the taco bar all at the same meal is a bit overkill. Some days there is indian food at homestyle, an indian soup and another curry dish somewhere else. Can we get more balance?"

We actually switched out the Baja Shrimp Tacos for Beef Biria Tacos, but the change didn't make it to the website. Still, we get your point, and will try to catch similar overlaps farther in advance :-))

through 11/9/12

November 9, 2012

"I would really love it if you would offer Starbars for sale at Oxy (and I think a lot of other people would too!).

http://starbars.com/index.php?page=bars"
We like the look of this product! Local (Santa Monica), made from raw, all natural ingredients. We checked out their website and called their office. Unfortunately they don't have a wholesale distributor yet, but they are looking for one. We'll keep an eye on their product to see if it shows up in the catalog of one of our natural products suppliers (United Natural/UNFI or Nature's Best).

"please have fiesta salad and asparagus/roasted eggplant salad more often! they're delicious :)"

Two crowd favorites indeed, your request is noted!

"MUCH better spice level for Meatless Monday - thanks!!"

You're so welcome!

"Please make gluten free options available at homestyle - the most affordable option - at least some of the time. Meals there are never marked (gf)."

We respectfully beg to differ - gluten free items are available at Homestyle quite often - look carefully for the (gf) at the station. We don't advertise in advance on the website, because we're often not completely sure a recipe is gf until we make it (some sauces and other ingredients come from a variety of sources and need to be checked carefully on the packaging). We're gradually building on our repertoire of gf recipes - some recipes...

through 11/1/12

November 1, 2012

Update from 10/24: Chobani Vanilla is back!
"I would greatly appreciate it if there was a way to tell which of the bagels are vegan.

Also, are any of the vegetables at the sandwich bar organic or local?

What kind of hummus do you use, or if you make it at the Marketplace, is there oil in it?"
All bagels, at both the Marketplace and Tiger Cooler are vegan. There is a sign indicating this at the Marketplace. We'll add signage at the Cooler.

The standard vegetables at the sandwich bar are not organic/local, although occasionally the shiitaki mushrooms are organic.

We make our own hummus from chick peas, olive oil, tahini paste, garlic, lemon juice and salt.

"I loved the cauliflower at the salad bar on Friday! The salad bar is great, but I'm always excited when there's some variety."

New Lactose-Free Items at the Coffee Cart!

October 31, 2012

Update to 10/24 suggestions: Two more lactose-free offerings from Auntie Em's have just arrived at the Rangeview Coffee Cart:

Mixed Mushroom Sandwich - now vegan and lactose-free
Fall Salad Shaker - seasonal greens with chicken, lactose-free

Look for one more lactose-free item, coming the week of November 11!

through 10/24/12

October 24, 2012

"What happened to the vanilla Chobani? I haven't seen it for weeks, and I miss it!"
Unfortunately our supplier has been out of the vanilla Chobani for an extended period. We're working to see if one of our other vendors can bring Chobani into their product list so we'll have more than one source. Stay tuned...
"Hi! I am a huge fan of the coffee cart. My one suggestion is: is there any way you can PLEASE add more vegan options? I am lactose intolerant, and although there are plenty of vegetarian options, there is cheese on almost everything. It would be easy to not put cheese in the shakers, or to have it as an option on the side. I love the hummus sandwich but it is my only sandwich option as far as I know. Thanks so much!"

We chatted with Auntie Em's chef. The items they make exclusively for the Coffee Cart are on a three week rotation. The upcoming week (October 28) is "Week 2" Here's an update of items that Auntie Em's confirms are lactose free:

Spicy Hummus Sandwich (Offered daily)
PBJ Sandwich (Offered daily)...

Your Vegan Recipes Are Coming!

October 9, 2012

Last Month's Suggestions are This Month's New Offerings!
Vegan Black Bean Summer Squash Enchiladas - Dinner Monday 10/15
Vegan Avocado Potato Salad - Lunch Tuesday 10/16
Vegan Creamy Zucchini Soup - Lunch and Dinner Tuesday 10/16
Thank you for your submissions!

Have a recipe to suggest?

through 10/8/12

October 8, 2012

"The Marketplace Gluten Free Guide is great, why is there not one for The Tiger Cooler?"
We hear you, and we're working on it - look for a Tiger Cooler GF guide by the end of the month!
"Does the homestyle section at the market place ever have gluten free foods? I've noticed that there is never a (gf) label used there. As the market place's most cost effective meal option, it would really be nice to have a gluten free option available - especially since there is a vegetarian option (which is usually a choice, not a medical condition) available literally every single day."

We've just begun labeling items that are GF at the Homestyle Station. Many of our recipes are already gluten free, and we want you to know. Others just require a little tweaking, and we're gradually making some changes. That said, at this point we're not able to offer an additional, gluten free option at homestyle every meal. Look for GF entrees at other stations at those meals - there's always one or more alternatives.

"I really enjoy having foods and flavors I have never tasted before at the Meatless Monday Indian food station. However, to make it suitable for a wider range of people, I think you should keep the hot spices to a minimum in the food. You could serve it with optional condiments students can add on the side that are really hot if some people want it spicier than the average student."

Thanks for letting us know - still tweaking!!!!

"In...

through 10/2/12

October 2, 2012

"DON'T TONE DOWN THE SPICES! IT'S GOOD THE WAY IT IS also, the cooler should have quesadillas. and curly fries. and malt powder for milkshakes would be cool. pupusas would be delicious. burritos or tacos al pastor. and one more thing: breakfast burritos are good."
We assume you're referring to the spices on "Meatless Monday" - each week the recipes will be a little different - keep the comments coming ;-)
Re: your Tiger Cooler suggestions: The grill top isn't large enough to always have quesadillas. But on occasion we do have quesadillas as a special. Curly fries are a frequent weekend special (they were offered Saturday 9/29 for instance). The issue preventing us from always having curly fries is (again) space - there is just one fryer well at the Cooler, and three fried items to prepare: French Fries, Mozarella Sticks and Onion Rings. Malt Powder has not been available through our regular supplier recently, but we will research if it is available through another source.

Re: your Marketplace suggestions: Pupusas are labor intensive, and we unfortunately haven't found a source for a good, pre-made verions. While we don't have the proper slow roasting rotisserie equipment to make authentic Tacos al Pastor, we can make a similar recipe - we've passed the suggestion on to our kitchen team. Did you know that you should be able to get an open-faced breakfast burrito any day of the week at the Grill Station? Just ask for your favorite fillings on a large flour tortilla. Occasionally we'll also have burritos for weekend brunches.

"Thank you for serving tempeh at homestyle today! I much prefer it to tofu and would love for The Marketplace to serve tempeh more often."

While there don't seem to be as many large quantity recipes for tempeh as for tofu, we love your comment and it will inspire us to keep trying!

"I can't...

through 9/26/12

September 26, 2012

"The Meatless Monday Indian Style today was incredibly good! Even better than last week's, which was very good as well. However, I would have liked it a lot better if it was a little less spicy. I think it was too spicy for many peoples' tastes."
Thank you for the feedback. The Meatless Monday Indian Cuisine concept is now going on its third week - and we've received lots of good comments. Recipes and spices are evolving - we'll tone down the spices a little this time. Keep the comments coming!
"Are the bbq sauces gluten free? (Specifically, the one served by the grill in the MP, the one at the pump in the MP, and the one served at the cooler)."

Good question. The Heinz BBQ sauce served in the pump at the Marketplace is GF, per their website. The Marketplace Grill and Tiger Cooler Grill serve different varieties of the Cattlemen's brand (Kansas City Classic and Texas Smokey, respectively). The ingredients appear to be GF, and many GF resource websites list Cattlemen's as GF, but Cattlemen's website doesn't specifically make any mention of GF.

FYI, here's a very good resource for researching whether commercial brands are GF, a database maintained by the Celiac Disease Foundation: http://cdfresourcedirectory.com/

"Can you please explain the rational for charging an extra $0.75 to grill onions at the cooler? I can understand adding an additional fee to orders that include extra sauce/condiments, but when my burger/sandwich already comes with an order of onions...