I recently had a great piece of pizza that was topped with minced white onion (lots!), garlic, chopped tomatoes with herbs, and lots of mushrooms. Jessica made it. Probably the best pizza I ever had at Oxy! I really appreciate the vegetarian options but would love a vegan pizza too!
We are happy to hear that you enjoyed the pizza prepared by Jessica. We do have several vegan options available by request. If you do not want a whole pizza, we always offer calzones, pizza bagels, individual wheat pita pizza and individual gluten free. These options can be prepared with your choice of toppings either without cheese or by substituting with soy cheese ($1 extra). Unfortunately, there simply is not enough demand for vegan pizza-by-the slice for us to offer this routinely. Pizzas offered on the line must sell quickly enough to prevent unnecessary waste.
Can yall prepare more ready to eat fruit in the MP? I love how there are orange slices available to go but how about we also get berries!!
We undertsand the desire for healthy fruit options! We have to balance this with seasonality/price and the labor it takes to cut and display fresh fruit. The Marketplace carries melon/pineapple/papaya/citrus fruit segments on a rotating basis at the salad bar. The bakery has parfait cups and also fruit cups that are often only berries (be sure to get yours early - they run out!). The Cooler has the following options everyday: edamame, carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, red apples, green apples, strawberries or grapes (seasonal). Since fall break, we also now offer dips separately to provide more flexibility, and we have added hummus cups as a side option.
The servers at the Marketplace consistently give female presenting students less food than their male presenting counterparts. The cost of the meal is the same for both students. For example, at the grill station, girls will receive fewer vegetables (when easily countable) and fewer pieces of meat. At the pasta bar, one unit of topping is greater for males than females. If we are paying the same amount, we should get the same amount of food.
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I've noticed that the service at the marketplace gives female presenting students less food than male presenting students when being served food from places such as the pasta bar or the breakfast bar. For example I get less eggs than the male students who get food before me.
First off let us begin with apologizing for this perception. Some customers are well known to our staff and request smaller portions - but standard portions should otherwise be maintained. We are currently working with and retraining the kitchen staff on portion control. If this happens to you, please reach out to supervisors Eileen Castellon or Monica Jones in the Marketplace; they are more than willing to help out in these situations.
[Tiger Cooler] Can we get the old hamburger buns that were available? The buns for the hamburgers are very dry/seem stale.
With over 2000 students, we have many needs and preferences we work to satisfy (no dairy, no egg, gluten free, etc.). Those with dietary restrictions still want the same dining experience, which means providing multiple choices. Instead of stocking several versions of the same bread options or sourcing our bread from multiple suppliers, The Tiger Cooler found one bakery able to meet many of these needs. Their breads are all vegan and are produced using all natural, organic ingredients - which makes them RFC Compliant. The down side is, with no milk, egg or butter ingredients, and with no artificial preservatives to extend shelf life, the breads can dry out more quickly than most conventional breads. However, we receive fresh bread deliveries every day of the week except for Sundays when our staff do not arrive until 3:30pm.
Can we get non vegan desserts back at the cooler? It is nice to have vegan options, but I'm not able to eat the vegan desserts and completely getting rid of an option for a small part of the school doesn't really seem rational - it would just be nice to have some options other than just vegan.
Our former supplier of baked goods, Susina Bakery, no longer exists. The original owner of Susina led us to Debbie's Delights, and Debbie's now provides our muffins, coffee cakes and cupcakes. Since Debbie's has a complete line of vegan and gluten free options, something the Cooler has never been able to offer, we wanted to focus on these items first rather than risk any confusion and/or cross-contamination between vegan, gluten free and conventional products. Debbie's has since merged with another bakery which was due to close. We hope to be able to expand our offerings before the end of the fall semester. Beginning 10/26, look for Debbie's Halloween-themed version of a chocolate ding dong.
While I appreciate the appeal to meat eaters to have a non meat option for burgers at the cooler, some of us who have not eaten meat in a while do not like the more realistic veggie burger the Beyond Burger. I have spoken to others who also miss the old Boca Burger. Also, the veggie burger which is just rice is hugely dissatisfying because it does not actually feel like a burger whatsoever. I suggest bringing back the boca burger and/or replacing the current veggie burger which is mostly rice with some kind of bean based veggie burger. Thanks for your time!
While we understand that the Beyond Burger may not be everyone's taste, sales have shown it to be the most popular vegan patty the Cooler has ever offered (selling cases of 40 or more per day). By comparison, a similar size case of Boca lasted us a week or more. The second best selling vegan burger was a Don Lee Farms patty, until they changed the recipe and added egg. We replaced that product with the Gardenburger Malibu, our current vegan burger, which also has proven to sell extremely well. Although Beyond has become the fastest selling vegan patty for us, the primary reason behind the switch was its ingredients. Beyond is not only vegan, but is also soy and gluten free - attributes that have been demanded by more of our students but have been hard to find in vegan products. This product has been so popular, we are now looking to add the Beyond Brat - also vegan, soy free and gluten free.
The MP already has Amy's Gluten Free Rice Mac & Cheese in the frozen section (https://www.amys.com/our-foods/rice-mac-cheese-gluten-free), but can we get the Gluten Free, Dairy Free one too (https://www.amys.com/our-foods/rice-mac-cheeze-gluten-free-dairy-free). I know lots of vegans would appreciate it!
We always keep the gluten free, dairy free in our rotation. It may sell out fast, so keep an eye out for it in our frozen food freezer.
Please have chopsticks available at the mp. Also, it would be nice to have trash cans by the tray drop area
Look for chopsticks at the Grill Station. Trash cans were purposely removed from the dining and tray drop areas because we cannot rely on the student body to sort trash as well as our trained staff members do. The sanitation staff properly sorts all trash, recyclables and compostables left on the tray conveyor to minimize contamination of each.
Can we get jars of almond butter too instead of just peanut butter?
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Can we get jars of justins almond butter instead of just peanut butter?
The jars of almond butter are far too expensive for us to carry. Sorry!
What's the recipe for the Vietnamese lettuce cups--tofu, turkey, and nuoc cham sauce? I want it to make it after I graduate from Oxy (crying emoji) -- thanks!!!
We have asked the chef for his recipe - watch this space...
More of a request really. For sandwiches, can they actually be cut ALL THE WAY through, instead of just the top? It's ruining my bread to filling ratio and perfect cut aesthetic.
When ordering your sandwich just ask the person making it to cut it all the way through - they will be happy to do so.
I am not a fan of the jam that is used in the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, the whole strawberries in the jam are very chunky and hard, making an otherwise delicious sandwich a little unpleasant. If there was another option with smoother jam or a different kind of jam was used intirely that would improve the sandwiches to no end. Thank you!
Our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches tend to be extremely popular and one of our best selling items. Previous changes to the type of preserves have resulted in many complaints. You could buy a packet of Justin's Peanut Butter, grab some jelly from the salad bar and make your own sandwich. This way you can manage the amount of jelly you put in your sandwich.
[We received an anonymous report of posssible food borne illness in our suggestion box last week.]
The first thing we did (and always do) is to check with Emmons Health Center. While they have seen some recent cases of gastro-enteritis, all appear to be flu-related. The symptoms are very similar. [As the individual who contacted us noted] If two or more people who consumed the same food(s) from the same source at or around the same time become ill, it is more likely (although not certain) that the cause is food borne bacteria vs. flu. If we receive two or more reports the College (Emmons, Campus Dining and the Office of Risk Management) will investigate further. In this case, there were not any additional reports.
We take any concerns of possible food borne illness seriously, and truly appreciate you informing us of your situation. At the very least, this serves as a reminder to us to be constantly vigilant and mindful that we have the health of our community (literally) in our hands.
"Hi,
I was really wondering if vegetarian recipes could be expanded beyond just tofu meals. There are a lot of people who are allergic/avoid tofu. There aren't really any other filling options on a daily basis. "
Can you please tell us what recipes you are looking for? We are constantly looking to expand our plant based items, so your input is always welcomed. Our Homestyle menu tends to rotate multiple vegan/vegetarian proteins. You can take a look at our weekly menu items posted on our website. The Tiger Cooler offers the Beyond Burger which is vegan, soy and gluten free. We are looking into adding other Beyond products as well.
Please don't add fake meat to the meatless monday meals, its not very appetizing!!!
Since we started our Meatless Monday station we have never added "fake meat" to any of the recipes. The only meat substitute that has ever been added is tofu. It is possible that you have seen something similar to Meatless Monday on the brunch line, Saturdays and Sundays, but that is not what is served for Meatless Mondays.
I think we should have RX bars at the marketplace!! I have heard this from other students but they didn't know how to suggest so I found the suggestions link on the campus dining website! The chocolate sea salt ones are the most popular!! :)
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rx bars!!!(chocolate sea salt, mint chocolate, peanut butter chocolate, chocolate coconut)
We are currently researching the RX Bars. They may make an entrance into the Marketplace if we can obtain a regular supply at a reasonable price.
We should bring back blended blue velvets!! New baristas should learn how to make them!
We asked the GB managers to replt to your request. "Unfortunately, The Green Bean can't officially bring back blended blue velvets. Making them involves steeping tea for 3-5 minutes as well as blending the drink, which takes much longer than any other menu item. The blended blue velvet remains on their "secret menu". Items on their secret menu can still be ordered, given at least one barista knows how to charge and make the drink -- although quality can't be guaranteed for their secret menu items."
The cooler should get sour Skittles up front!
The cooler alternates between different varieties of Skittles. Sour Skittles should be available now or on display soon. Offerings also vary depending on availability from our supplier.
Please get more vegan salad dressing options
About half of the dressings the Tiger Cooler currently offers are vegan - Lite Italian, Balsamic and Heart Health Vinaigrette. Only Caesar, Ranch and reg. Italian are not. We must limit their offerings to those which prove to be the best sellers. Otherwise, despite a two month shelf-life, we have unnecessary waste from dressings which expire before they can be sold.
Please start offering Cheerios again
Because our cereal display is given to us by Kellogg's we try to carry as many Kellogg's cereals as possible. We do offer Cheerios as a grab and go option by our snack display.
Suggestion: chicken tenders
The Tiger Cooler cannot prepare meat items, such as chicken tenders, in their fryers in order to maintain other options as vegetarian. We do occasionally offer chicken tenders, and other chicken options, as either a Friday or Saturday special which requires the use of our pizza oven (which can only occur when we stop offering pizza) or we sometimesutilize equipment at the Marketplace.