Lisa Haynes – UMCP Dietetic Intern
Have you ever wondered what it takes to feed thousands of hungry college students every single day? During my food service rotation, I got to find out. I had the opportunity to spend three weeks on-site with the University of Maryland’s Dining Services, where I saw firsthand what it takes to feed thousands of students, along with some faculty and staff, across just three dining halls. Many aspects of the food and service stood out to me during this experience.
Before this rotation, I had eaten in cafeterias at many different institutions, including elementary, middle, and high schools, universities, hospitals, and employer-run facilities. From that unofficial sampling of institutional food, I expected the usual: bland, quickly prepared dishes with hit-or-miss quality and presentation.
The dining halls at the University of Maryland exceeded my expectations. There are
three in total, each offering a wide variety of fresh, well-prepared, and flavorful food. It was especially heartwarming to see how many options allow students to get balanced nutrition at every meal. In addition to being tasty, the dining halls feature different types of cuisine every day, so there is almost always something that appeals to everybody.
Many of the dining halls’ current policies were developed to help reduce food insecurity on campus. Students who live on campus are required to have a meal plan. In addition, the dining halls are open from the beginning of breakfast to the end of dinner. Once inside, students can stay as long as they like and eat as much as they need. Students with a meal plan have unlimited daily access to the dining halls, and there are different meal plan options available to meet the needs of both commuter and resident students.
Nutritious meals are only helpful if students actually want to eat them. In addition to
variety, flavor, and preparation quality, it is essential to consider allergies and
intolerances. One of the dining halls, 251 North, maintains a Purple Zone, which is a
completely separate kitchen kept free of peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, milk, wheat, fish, shellfish, soy, and sesame. The other two halls also have allergen-free stations, but they are not in a separate kitchen.
Cultural and lifestyle choices are also carefully considered. All the halls clearly label halal foods, and 251 North even has an entirely halal section. Every hall includes vegan sections as well. Students can choose from Mongolian grills, pasta bars, pizza stations, delis, and salad bars. And breakfast foods are served all day. Each dining hall has its own unique setup based on the chef’s plans, so there is always something for just about everybody at every meal.
As you might imagine, it takes a large and dedicated team to bring this amount of food to the campus community every day. In addition to chefs, food preparers, and cleaning staff, there are: procurement specialists who arrange food ordering and delivery, staff who coordinate training, and others who manage the meal plans and Dining Dollars. The IT team oversees the food ordering system, while marketing, maintenance, and nutrition professionals all play a part in keeping everything running smoothly. Everyone works together to ensure that the campus community is fed well and safe.
It is truly a huge collaborative effort that has been noticed outside of the UMD
community! The National Association of College & University Food Services has
awarded Dining Services for its Innovative Nutrition Program and also highlighted the Purple Zone for its commitment to food safety.
The large variety and excellent quality provided by Dining Services at the University of Maryland give students the nutrition that helps nurture their learning experience on campus. Many people work to make sure that happens every day. It was refreshing to see the care and consideration given to feeding the campus. It will raise my level of expectation in future professional kitchens in institutions that I’ll encounter.