Students should appreciate improved dining hall

Many members of The Blue Banner staff have been at UNC Asheville since 2006, which means we have seen many changes across the campus, including the quality of the food served in the dining hall.

In just three and a half years, the food at the dining hall has gone from truly atrocious to pretty delicious.

It might not be gourmet, but it definitely meets the level of the restaurants most students can actually afford to go to in Asheville.

For those students who may be new at UNCA, and think the food at the cafeteria is not too good, just imagine how bad the upperclassmen had it. It was bad.

There used to be a time when a good meal at the cafeteria meant that there were no bugs (alive or dead) in the chicken gyros, the salad was only slightly soggy and just beginning to brown, the pizza was at room temperature and only one or two hairs wound up in the sandwiches made at the sandwich station.

No longer is that the standard for a good meal in the dining hall.

Now, much of the food is hot and fresh, the salad bar is clean and the vegetables are crisp. Bugs are no longer a side dish and there are many more options for students who are vegetarian, vegan or gluten intolerant.

It is really incredible to look back on how awful the food used to be in comparison to how it is today.

That is not to say there are not some off days at the dining hall, but whereas every day used to be an off day, they are no longer the norm.

Unfortunately, for those who work at dining services, it is not the most glamorous job nor is it one which attracts frequent compliments.

That does not mean dining services employees do not deserve credit for their hard work. They certainly do.

Dining services did what many companies often fail to do, which is consider constructive criticism from customers and actively try to improve their product or service.

For years now, students have been encouraged to make suggestions to those at dining services about how to make their meals and dining hall experience a more positive one. The staff actually listened and made changes.

It is hard to believe the dining hall now is the same one that was at UNCA back in 2006. It has changed so drastically and so much for the better. Those at dining services deserve a lot of overdue credit.

It is pretty rare that anyone actually sends compliments to the chef or the staff anymore, but in this case, UNCA’s dining services deserve to be praised for their efforts.

They have actually listened to the students and have since delivered a tasty, healthy and genuinely pleasant experience. So kudos to them and keep it up.

http://www.thebluebanner.net/students-should-appreciate-improved-dining-hall-1.1270059