Food Future: A Word with NIC’s New Dining Partner

Improved use of space in the Market, a possible 24-hour C-Store in the dorms and an increase in food options for all three meals of the day are just a few things students can expect as Aladdin Campus Dining takes over dining operations in the Student Union Building at NIC this coming summer.

The Sentinel spoke with Amy Ahlum and Joey Roberts from Aladdin Campus Dining. They detailed exhaustive plans for a revamp of the Market.

“We’re excited about opening all the stations back up,” said Regional Marketing Manager Amy Ahlum. Here is a list of the stations Ahlum listed:

• Season’s Harvest: Home-cooked & Vegetarian meals
• Deli: Build-your-own sandwich station with local deli
• The Flame, a grill
• Sauce & Stone: pizza
• Salad bar moved to the middle of the Market
• A-Zone pantry for students with allergies

Beyond changes to the market, Aladdin’s broader goals in their partnership with NIC include bringing quality food, enhancing menu variety, and improving offerings for people with dietary restrictions and intolerances.

“I think a lot of it is just bringing it back to life,” said Roberts, Aladdin’s Director of Business Development. She detailed their plan to have Ahlum work closely with students and faculty to create dining events, establish themes, and uphold a dialogue with students about their needs and desires.

The Caffeinated Cardinal will remain. Ahlum says she’d like to introduce hot food such as hot sandwiches to its menu but keep the drink menu the same for year one. The two noted the value of the Caffeinated Cardinal as not only an outlet for local suppliers such as Cravens Coffee, but also a source of pride for the college, not to mention its inseparable association with barista Shing Chung.

Employees

Employees will be given the opportunity to stay, according to Roberts. The Sentinel previously asked NIC Accountant Steve McGroarty about the future of current dining employees, should Aladdin be chosen, and he explained that there is an expectation the new contractor will make every effort to rehire them. Roberts affirmed that Aladdin intends to do so.

Pricing

“Expect that we’re going to be very transparent and fair,” said Roberts. “We will make suggestions, but at the end of the day, leadership at NIC will set those prices.”

This has also been the case with Sodexo. While it’s easy to glance at the cost of a dinner and point a finger at the company name attached to it, the food service provider does not price the food. NIC does and, as we have seen, the college is willing to absorb a portion of the cost increases as food prices go up.

“There’s one thing we don’t compromise, and that’s our food quality,” said Roberts.

Student Choice

“We’d like to put together a food service committee in the fall,” said Ahlum, “We will ask students if they want to be a part of [it], and they can help us plan theme meals or events.

“We also do surveys twice a year to get student feedback to see how we can update the program. We’re very flexible with that.”

24-Hour C-Store?

“Part of our proposal, whether or not it’s decided we do this, was converting the current C-Store into a 24-hour C-Store,” said Roberts. Currently, the C-Store in the residence hall is open from 6:30 P.M. (end of dinner) to 11:00 P.M. daily.

While Aladdin Campus Dining is taking over dining services, NIC still makes the decisions on things like food pricing and what happens in The Market. But should every part of Aladdin’s plan come to fruition, students stand to receive a significant change from today’s dining experience.

Ahlum affirmed that their priority is student satisfaction, saying “we just want to make sure that students have a memorable dining experience.”