For the past two years, I lived off the Commons because of variety and convenience. Although the quality was sometimes lacking, at least I didn’t go away unsatisfied. Returning from summer vacation this year, the Commons has greatly changed: new policies have been implemented, “special events” are no longer special, less food is available at any one time, and there is new management. The following is a list of my observations from the past couple of weeks. Granted, I haven’t been eating at the Commons every day, but when I do go in, I am usually disappointed.
Many of the new “policies” restrict the variety of food. I once asked a manager why the pasta station and theme aren’t open all the time, and she replied that it had to do with health regulations; the pasta station had to be used for desserts because there was no sneeze guard over the normal dessert area. Every time I walk into the Commons for dinner, the desserts are in the exact same location they have always been in with no sneeze guard over them. Due to another policy, strawberries aren’t available for waffles anymore except on weekends. Last Sunday, I walked in and wanted a waffle. Not only were the waffle irons being used every time I looked, but there weren’t any strawberries out. The one time we were promised strawberries, the Commons didn’t deliver. In addition to being a tasty treat, the strawberries provide a much needed alternative to the monotony of the apples, oranges, and bananas.
The global chef night really disappointed me. I made a special effort to go to the event just to see what was going on. When I got there, I found a set up at theme cuisine with two guys dishing out food. I immediately walked out and went to Sage. The Commons had advertised for a week a “fully prepared meal.” I had expected something out of the ordinary, considering I get a “fully prepared meal” every day, three times a day. I assumed he would be cooking it in front of us or that it would be set up similar to the Iron Chef event they did last year.
One mystery is that prices just rose, but the quantity of food has dramatically decreased. One entire salad bar has become a table for two baskets of bread, the theme cuisine and pasta stations are no longer used on a regular basis, and food often runs out and is not replenished. I have seen hot items run out before they were supposed to, every white milk dispenser empty except whole milk, and remains of ice cream and cereal. The salad selection is now severely limited as one of the bars goes unused. In the past, I would occasionally partake of the side salads, Jell-O, and pudding, but there are others who depended on these vegetarian options.
Lastly, most of these problems probably stem from new management, which has been proven through the comment cards. As paying customers, we deserve respect. The responses have been “Ask Price Chopper what they’ve got,” when one asked for blueberry bagels, and “What do you need cooking oil for?” in response to someone’s request for oil by the grill. Also, there are the notorious “N/A” responses given to the extraneous cards. At the very least, if you are going to reply to the comments, do so in a respectable way. As for the “N/A” cards, the previous management would at least play along and give interesting responses. The alternative was that comment cards that didn’t pertain to dining weren’t posted.
Overall, the Commons has greatly disappointed me this year. I, however, would like to thank Sage and BARH for doing an outstanding job and picking up the slack from Commons. Thanks for providing me excellent service and meals, and treating me with respect. You really know what the meaning of customer service is. As for the Commons, maybe you should try following their example.
Adrienne Peltz, MGTE ’07
