“Can we get the recipe for the salad from the thanksgiving dinner? It was so good and the dressing was amazing!”
Here is the recipe for the Chio's Kabocha Salad. Hope you enjoy making it!
“The vegan banana chocolate muffins are divine!! please make more!!!!”
Thank you! We do make plenty but they tend to sell out very quickly. Try to come early!
“The fruit smoothies should be served more regularly.We love them!”
We’re glad you like our Saturday Organic Smoothies. They are served every Saturday except when we have large groups of visitors (who need lunch options). We are sorry but we do not have enough staff to menu the smoothies on other days of the week. The Tiger Cooler offers smoothies every day.
“Can the coffee cart please start selling mainstream chocolate and candy!! like kit kats, twix etc.. or the candy that the mp sells ??”
We’re sorry but we don’t have enough space to carry any additional items. If we add shelves at the Coffee Cart they have to be permitted and approved by the Health Department. Food and beverage carts have different (and more stringent) regulations.
“more olives at the salad bar please please please!!”
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“Just a suggestion: it would be great to have Kalamata olives in the salad bar if possible so you can make a Greek Salad!!”
At the salad bar the olives are rotated with the sliced mushrooms. We do sell packaged organic olives. We carry both Kalamata and green olives.
“Quite a few times now I have seen the morning grill station cook bacon on the same grill as the vegetarian items and use the same spatula to flip stuff :(“
All bacon and sausage are pre-baked in the back kitchen, never on the line. As for the toppings for the omelets, they do include ham. Should you have any allergen concerns you should let the cook know beforehand because all the omelets are cooked on the same side of the flat top.
“I would love to see peanut butter that does not contain palm oil because of its harmful effects on the environment”
The peanut butter that we use on our PB&J’s does not contain palm oil. The brands are Skippy (creamy) and Sysco (crunchy).
Ingredients (both types): Roasted Peanuts, Sugar, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Cottonseed, Soybean and Rapeseed Oil) To Prevent Separation, Salt.
Vending - “Have hot water available with instant ramen. Have cups available in the snack lounge. Combine Vending Machine money with meal plan.”
There is a microwave for heating water/ramen in the snack lounge. We will pass on your request for cups, but please be aware that Campus Dining does not maintain the lounge supplies. Each meal plan has a vending balance available. Expanding that balance would be a financial decision, because vending funds go to an off-campus provider, and those funds are then not available to support Oxy labor and services.
“La Colombe coffee pumpkin spice flavor”
We tried to get it while it was seasonal but our supplier didn’t carry it. We will try again next season.
“Please make more vegetarian gnocchi, it’s sad when the only option to get gnocchi has meat in it”
Vegetarian gnocchi will be served on 2/14 at Homestyle. Hope you get a chance to try it!
Vending - “The coffee machine in the first floor of the library didn’t dispense a cup when i tried to get coffee”
We sent this message to First Class Vending for their attention. For a refund, please visit the card office.
“Hi!! I'd like to put in a message in support of the addition of Oatly brand ice cream to the marketplace freezer. Especially the oat flavor!!!!! I know many people who would love this, as it's a delicious vegan and gluten free ice cream that everyone can enjoy!”
Our suppliers currently do not carry this brand. We will be on the lookout for when they do.
“There has to be more regulation in the proportion of food served. Every single time I’m given less than half of what other people, particularly guys are served esp in home style. This actually seems to be pretty common with a lot of the women on campus. Maybe it’s bc you think we won’t eat as much but we do and don’t appreciate esp when we’re still hungry. On other matters I appreciate all the new foods like the ramen and bahnmi we’ve been having.”
Thank you for letting us know about this concern. We have spoken with a number of employees, and while we understand that some would attribute this to gender, there appear to be other issues at work. One measure we are taking is to re-institute "sample plates" at Homestyle, which will showcase the presentation and portion size. We will also be using sample plates where appropriate at Chef's Corner. If you believe you have been served an incorrect portion, please bring this to the server's attention, or to a supervisor at that time.
“Hi! What dressing do you use for the protein bowl? I love it!”
The dressing was Avocado Green Goddess Dressing. Glad you enjoyed it!
“Can we please put chocolate back in the vegan banana muffins?? They’re not as good anymore...also can we get vegan Ben and Jerry’s in the MP pleeease!!”
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“I would love to see non dairy Ben&Jerry’s options :)”
You should have already seen the chocolate back on the vegan muffins. We also ordered the non-dairy Ben & Jerry’s look for it this upcoming week.
“I feel like a simple little pasta salad next to the to-go sandwiches would be well-liked :)”
Thank you for the request. We actually do have pasta salad occasionally in the grab & go when there is an over production in catering. It is in rotation with other things such as coleslaw, ahi tuna salad, shrimp cocktail, etc.
“The potatoes and soyrizo in the tacos today were delicious. You should serve that by itself as a breakfast option”
The potatoes and soyrizo are actually available every Monday, Wednesday & Friday at the Tiger Cooler in a breakfast burrito.
“Hi, I've noticed this issue for a while now but it was especially noticeable today. Not everyone receives the same portion sizes for toppings at the stir fry bar. For some concrete context: today I asked for mushrooms and double broccoli. I was given half a handful of mushrooms and 5 pieces of broccoli that weren't particularly large. The person behind me asked for mushrooms and a single serving of broccoli. They received two handfuls of mushrooms and 6 pieces of broccoli all about the same size as mine. Same for the person following them. However, the person in front of me was the same ethnicity as me and was given 4 pieces of broccoli for a single serving. Why is my portion of broccoli, which counted as 2 toppings, less than someone else's single portion? If we are going by 5 pieces as 1 portion, then I should be getting 10 pieces since I asked for double and it counts as 2 toppings. I suspected maybe I was not heard correctly and the person making my stir fry thought I wanted a single portion, but I realized that this has happened too many times consistently over 3 years so it is not a one-time or few-time occurrence. And why was my portion size of mushrooms significantly smaller? I did not feel comfortable saying something, but the unequal portion sizes were extra obvious today. I don't want to make any assumptions because I have known the staff here to be great people, but I have observed throughout the years that people of my ethnicity are always receiving less than everyone else and it makes me extremely uncomfortable. I'm sure it's not from bad intent but if the staff have pre-conceptions about who eats more and who eats less, they should still be giving everyone the same amount because we are all paying the same amount. Who can I talk to about this? If I'm completely mistaken and I'm feeling uncomfortable for the wrong reason then I would like to know. If the ethnicity issue is actually a problem, then I would like to help resolve it. Thanks”
Thank you for your thoughtful and insightful comments on this topic. We are very sorry you have had these experiences. Executive Chef Martin Fernandez mfernandez2@oxy.edu would be the best person to discuss your concerns. He’s anticipating hearing from you and will meet you at a location of your choosing. Regardless, we have already begun actively re-training our full time and casual staff on proper portioning at the Sauté Station, including using the correct portioning utensils. Subjectivity and pre-conceptions are not appropriate in the portioning process, and we will make this clear in our training.