Duke University Student Dining Advisory Committee discussed student complaints and its plans for next semester at its meeting Thursday.
Brian Taylor, Trinity '16 and DUSDAC chair, explained that DUSDAC wants to focus on increasing affordability for upperclassmen at on-campus locations in the future.
“It’s really hard, however, to make sure that these vendors sell the same quantity of food for lower prices,” he said. “They’ll likely be giving out even smaller portions if there is a demand for cheaper prices.”
For instance, West Union’s Il Forno is considering selling smaller portions of their pasta at lower prices.
Taylor also discussed changes to the annual food truck rodeo, which coincides with the Old Duke concert and allows students to try out a variety of food trucks that could potentially sell on campus.
The rodeo is likely to cost $7,000 to $10,000, Taylor said. One prospective food truck for the event is Captain Poncho's, a Mexican food truck that sold on campus years ago.
Another main focus were recent issues reported by students on the Fix My Campus Facebook page, such as TGI Friday’s Merchants-on-Points not delivering students' orders.
Students have complained that there is only one place to get water at Marketplace. Some first-years who eat at Marketplace on a daily basis would like more areas to get water, members noted.
In addition, Fix My Campus had a recent post about a student finding a fly in his to-go salad from Café Edens.
DUSDAC also talked about upcoming projects, including a partnership with Mi Gente to increase the amount of Latin American food on campus.
“We’re going to see what [we can] do to meet their dietary desires,” he said .
However, he noted that it would be "difficult" to incorporate Guasaca Arepa and Salsa Grill into Merchants-on-Points because Guasaca closes at 9 p.m.
In other business:
The food truck Belgian Waffle Crafters is out of commission for an indefinite period of time due to truck issues, Taylor said.
Following a previous discussion about having food trucks on East Campus, Taylor noted there has been difficulty in finding potential parking for the trucks.
Duke Student Government is working with Parking and Transportation Services to secure a location on East, potentially behind Giles residence hall. DSG plans to advertise and promote the trucks if they sell food at the new location. The issue of first-years choosing to use their food points at a food truck rather than using a swipe at Marketplace, however, still remains a concern for DUSDAC members.
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