Appalachian State University Chancellor Sheri Everts, center, tours Roess Dining Hall prior to students’ arrival on campus for the fall 2020 semester. Campus Dining Director Pam Cline, left, and executive chef Jules Bott point out traffic flow markers installed to insure physical distancing. Photo by Marie Freeman
Food trucks, Grubhub and more — App State’s Campus Dining adjusts for COVID-19
By Elisabeth Wall
Posted Aug. 14, 2020 at 2:10 p.m.
BOONE, N.C. — The campus dining experience at Appalachian State University will be different this fall — including a selection of local food trucks on campus. Choice, convenience and quality remain the focus, according to Campus Dining Director Pam Cline.
“This fall, as we manage safety issues around COVID-19, operations will be different,” Cline said. “Among the changes are reduced seating capacity to accommodate physical distancing, and takeout and preordering will be encouraged.”
In the following video, Cline shares a glimpse of the fall dining experience:
Returning to AppState | Campus Dining
Transcript
Pam Cline: We've been preparing since we left for Spring Break and realized that things were going to be different upon return from Spring Break with Covid. We've constantly adjusted and pivoted from the different phases of North Carolina, and getting ready for students to come back has been on ongoing process all summer long. We've really worked hard in the last month to get signage ready, to get a Grubhub contract ready, to get some agreements with some food trucks to come to campus. It's been a busy endeavor but we're really excited about welcoming students back and showing students how we can keep them safe and provide some delicious dining options for them. You'll notice it right when you walk in our front door with signage that says "Entrance" versus "Exit." You'll notice that we have hand sanitizing stations at the entrances. We have arrows on the floors. We have some Mountaineer boot prints on our floors where we want you to stand. We have socially distanced the tables so that the tables are six feet apart. As you enter Rivers Street Cafe we've got a beautiful display case of what's on offering for the day, so that you can see and visualize what your meal would look like. And you can make a decision before you enter the servery so that you can get in and out very quickly and protect yourself.
Jules Bott: Cafeteria-style service doesn't work very well right now. So we're streamlining the process. We're limiting self-service areas...we have to. So instead of a build-your-own salad bar, the one in Sanford Commons is a built-for-you salad bar. Instead of the students pulling their own food out of the slides, our staff will be filling bags, pulling the food out of the slides, placing it in a bag, package it up for you, and you can go.
PC: We're excited about our Grubhub partnership and how you can order food from a mobile app. We're gonna flip a little toggle on an iPad and send you a text message that says "Your meal is ready for pickup," so that you don't have to come in and wait in a line. So we're going to have four food trucks on Sanford Mall for you to choose from that you can order from your Grubhub app, and go right there and enjoy some local community restaurants right on Sanford Mall without leaving campus. All the safety precautions that you've seen in Roess Dining Hall today are throughout Campus Dining in all of our facilities and venues throughout campus. So we're excited to welcome you back to campus, and we want you to know that we're ready to protect you...to dine safely within all of our facilities.
Some of the innovations and options on tap:
Locally owned food trucks will be around Sanford Mall, including The Cardinal Burger Wagon, Higher Grounds Coffee Truck, Betty’s Biscuit Truck and Village Inn Pizza Truck.
Signage throughout campus dining facilities will direct traffic and encourage diners to take safety measures, and seating will be arranged for distancing. Hand sanitizer stations will be placed throughout the facilities. No cash will be accepted.
Dining hall meals will be prepackaged to ensure the safety of both staff and students during Campus Dining service. Glass display cases will show pre-plated meal choices so students can view their options in advance and be ready to order and exit with their food.
Salad bars will be closed, but dining services staff will compose salads to order. Pre-bult salads will also be available in the grab-and-go sections.
The mobile food ordering platform Grubhub will provide a pickup option for all on-campus dining locations and will accept campus meal cards for payment.
Local food trucks, including The Cardinal Burger Wagon, pictured, will be around Appalachian State University’s Sanford Mall during fall 2020 to help with the physical distancing measures in place to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Photo by Marie Freeman
Recognizing a history of sustainable dining practices
Chief Sustainability Officer Dr. Lee F. Ball Jr. said it’s important, especially now, to “recognize the long-established practices that continue to positively impact our sustainability efforts on campus, in the community and beyond.”
Some of the ongoing sustainability initiatives directly related to Campus Dining:
Composting
In place since 1999, Appalachian’s composting program produced about 175 tons of compost in 2019 and is a contributing factor in Appalachian’s commitment to a campuswide zero waste goal.
The program diverts a portion of the university’s waste stream from the local landfill.
Compost is used extensively in university landscaping and eliminates the cost and energy expenditure of purchasing and shipping costly soil amendments. The 175 tons of annually produced compost save the university approximately $4,000 in purchased soil amendments.
Local economic and social impact
Campus Dining employs approximately 700 temporary and full-time staff. Around 500 temporary positions are filled by Appalachian students.
In the 2019–20 academic year, Campus Dining purchased 26.71% — or the monetary equivalent of more than $1 million — of its food from local sources.
In addition to food, Campus Dining purchases services — including maintenance labor, gasoline, linens and cleaning — as well as dining-related products such as cutlery packets, bottled water and condiments from local providers.
In 2019–20, Campus Dining’s food recovery program supplied the equivalent of 25,974 meals for the community through Boone’s Hunger and Health Coalition.
From March to July, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Campus Dining has provided more than 1,000 meals to students and community members in need.
Sustainability Program Manager Jen Maxwell harvests garlic in Appalachian State University’s Sustainable Development Teaching and Research Farm in Ashe County, which will be used by Campus Dining. She is pictured wearing a face covering in compliance with safety measures mandated on campus during the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo by Leila Jackson
Safety and sustainability — it’s up to everyone
As an increased safety measure and for more efficient distribution of meals, Campus Dining expects a temporary increase in the use of disposable products.
“The accommodations we are making for COVID-19 are critical to safety and are fiscally responsible,” Chief Sustainability Officer Dr. Lee F. Ball Jr. said. “They certainly do not take away from our long history of stewardship. Sustainability is not a trend at App State — it’s a lifestyle.”
To help offset this impact, he provided the following suggestions for individual action around food services:
Choose meatless meals frequently. According to Sustainability Program Manager Jen Maxwell, this is one of the best mitigation options to reduce one’s carbon footprint.
Recycle/compost whenever possible.
Reduce waste by taking as few disposable items as possible. Bringing reusable silverware and/or a straw for use while dining is acceptable; however, due to health concerns, reusable cups and/or bottles are not allowed in the dining facilities.
Take only the number of condiments that will be consumed. If you do take too many, use them later rather than toss. Most will keep for a year or more.
Ball said that just as it takes the entire community to keep the High Country safe during the pandemic, every individual must “think critically and creatively about sustainability and what it means from the smallest individual action to the most broad-based applications.” He encouraged students, especially, to get involved with sustainability at Appalachian.
Campus Dining is committed to serving the Appalachian community using sustainable practices, creative and intentional menu planning, and constantly engaging in the ever-changing dialogue surrounding food.
Across our campus, faculty and staff are engaged in planning for teaching, research and learning in an environment fundamentally changed by the coronavirus.
The Appalachian Experience will be different in many ways this fall than in years past due to COVID-19, yet students can still expect the caring approach to their growth and development App State has long been known for.
What will it be like at Appalachian State University this fall? This is the question on the minds of Mountaineers everywhere, with the fall 2020 semester set to start Aug. 17. Read on for a look at the changes that have taken place on campus.
Campus Dining is owned and operated by Appalachian State University and offers dining services tailored to the campus community’s specific needs. With three dining facilities and daily catering events, Campus Dining provides opportunities for nourishment and also building and fostering relationships over shared meals and experiences. Campus Dining is committed to serving the Appalachian Community using sustainable practices such as local sourcing and contributing to campus composting and a constantly evolving partnership with the Office of Sustainability. Learn more at https://dining.appstate.edu.
About Sustainability at Appalachian
Appalachian State University’s leadership in sustainability is known nationally. The university’s holistic, three-branched approach considers sustainability economically, environmentally and equitably in relationship to the planet’s co-inhabitants. The university is an active steward of the state’s interconnected financial, cultural and natural resources and challenges students and others think critically and creatively about sustainability and what it means from the smallest individual action to the most broad-based applications. The university offers both undergraduate and graduate academic degree programs that focus on sustainability. In addition, 100 percent of Appalachian’s academic departments offer at least one sustainability course or course that includes sustainability, and all students graduate from programs that have adopted at least one sustainability learning outcome. Learn more at https://appstate.edu/sustainability.
About Appalachian State University
As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.
Recognizing a history of sustainable dining practices
Chief Sustainability Officer Dr. Lee F. Ball Jr. said it’s important, especially now, to “recognize the long-established practices that continue to positively impact our sustainability efforts on campus, in the community and beyond.”
Some of the ongoing sustainability initiatives directly related to Campus Dining:
Composting
In place since 1999, Appalachian’s composting program produced about 175 tons of compost in 2019 and is a contributing factor in Appalachian’s commitment to a campuswide zero waste goal.
The program diverts a portion of the university’s waste stream from the local landfill.
Compost is used extensively in university landscaping and eliminates the cost and energy expenditure of purchasing and shipping costly soil amendments. The 175 tons of annually produced compost save the university approximately $4,000 in purchased soil amendments.
Local economic and social impact
Campus Dining employs approximately 700 temporary and full-time staff. Around 500 temporary positions are filled by Appalachian students.
In the 2019–20 academic year, Campus Dining purchased 26.71% — or the monetary equivalent of more than $1 million — of its food from local sources.
In addition to food, Campus Dining purchases services — including maintenance labor, gasoline, linens and cleaning — as well as dining-related products such as cutlery packets, bottled water and condiments from local providers.
In 2019–20, Campus Dining’s food recovery program supplied the equivalent of 25,974 meals for the community through Boone’s Hunger and Health Coalition.
From March to July, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Campus Dining has provided more than 1,000 meals to students and community members in need.
As an increased safety measure and for more efficient distribution of meals, Campus Dining expects a temporary increase in the use of disposable products.
“The accommodations we are making for COVID-19 are critical to safety and are fiscally responsible,” Chief Sustainability Officer Dr. Lee F. Ball Jr. said. “They certainly do not take away from our long history of stewardship. Sustainability is not a trend at App State — it’s a lifestyle.”
To help offset this impact, he provided the following suggestions for individual action around food services:
Choose meatless meals frequently. According to Sustainability Program Manager Jen Maxwell, this is one of the best mitigation options to reduce one’s carbon footprint.
Recycle/compost whenever possible.
Reduce waste by taking as few disposable items as possible. Bringing reusable silverware and/or a straw for use while dining is acceptable; however, due to health concerns, reusable cups and/or bottles are not allowed in the dining facilities.
Take only the number of condiments that will be consumed. If you do take too many, use them later rather than toss. Most will keep for a year or more.
Ball said that just as it takes the entire community to keep the High Country safe during the pandemic, every individual must “think critically and creatively about sustainability and what it means from the smallest individual action to the most broad-based applications.” He encouraged students, especially, to get involved with sustainability at Appalachian.
What will it be like at Appalachian State University this fall? This is the question on the minds of Mountaineers everywhere, with the fall 2020 semester set to start Aug. 17. Read on for a look at the changes that have taken place on campus.
Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.
If you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:
Stories and press releases published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found in University Communications Records at the Special Collections Research Center.
Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.
If you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:
Stories and press releases published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found in University Communications Records at the Special Collections Research Center.
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