When students came back from spring break, they found the EMU, as well as all the food services inside, surrounded by a fence. A map directing students to alternative options for food and coffee was on the main door.
The EMU used to serve over 1,000 customers every day. Now the displaced customers are scattering to find an alternative solution for a quick fix of caffeine or lunch. UO Dining Services is ready to step up to the plate.
“The biggest challenge is to let students know about the other places,” UO Dining Director Tom Driscoll said. “Like Carson is not very obvious, so we had to put up boards and maps.”
To accommodate the sudden change in number of customers, UO Dining has had to not only adjust the amount of food, but also the hours of working shifts.
“With roughly 400 students working, we have to increase more hours each shift,” Driscoll said. “But we have the capacity, the ability to expand on short notice and are accustomed to serve a big amount of customers.”
DUX Bistro, normally a busy cafeteria, is now even more overwhelmed with the sudden increase in customers.
“Every day is insane,” student staff member Matt Hummel said. “I lived here last year, and it was something I have never seen before.”
During lunch time, it is common to see lines of students waiting for food, while staff is rushing to put out orders that keep flooding in. After they have received their food, many students end up leaving the cafeteria due to the lack of seating areas.
“Everyone has to wait longer now,” Hummel said. “We definitely have enough food, but now we don’t have enough room to serve everyone.”
Eisuke Kajino used to get his lunch regularly in both the EMU and DUX Bistro, but now, he said, he has nowhere to go.
“My friends and I used to meet up for lunch at the EMU almost everyday, but it is closed now,” Kajino said. “And we can never find seats in (DUX Bistro), so we don’t meet up as much as before.”
UO Dining has not yet obtained a solid number in sales this term, except for an increase in coffee consumption throughout campus the first two weeks, Driscoll said. Still, the chaotic scene every day at noon seems to tell its own story.
Despite the mixed opinions, the feedback from students has generally been positive, Driscoll said.
“It’s a nice surprise for a lot of students, especially for those who have never been there,” he said.
UO Dining encourages students to join Ducks Dine On, a program which allows customers to dine on campus at a discounted rate. Students can buy at least 10 meals at a time or as much as 100 meals, which will qualify them for the free coffee program called Golden Mug.
The program, which launched last fall, targets students living off-campus. Over 1,900 students and faculty are enrolled in the program.