Have you heard that the prices in the Rathskellar skyrocketed when they re-opened? Or did you hear the one about their menu being half of what it used to be? Yeah, I heard these tall tales, too, and before today I believed them. I was all set to groan about their new-and-not-so-improved changes, especially to the amazing Thai byte wrap, but further investigation showed some remedies already in the works. The whispers between skeptical students seemed less and less credible, and I had to get the facts about what menu changes actually occurred. After meeting with Union Dining Director Robert McIntosh, the renovations took on a new light, and it was clear that these misconceptions should be addressed to better inform the students.
First and foremost, I must applaud Sodexho’s efforts to accommodate the students both through the menu and the new atmosphere. Unfortunately, though, all good things tend to have a negative aspect hidden somewhere. In this case, there are communication issues between Rathskellar dining and the students as to what the new menu includes. The issue with prices is that they advertise the price of an option as a combo including a 20 ounce soda and a bag of chips. The biggest mistaken belief comes from the chicken tender sub, which actually still is on the menu if you look at the signs closely.
As observed by many, the Sunset Strips program has been eliminated, which stemmed from it being only a “quick fix.” It wasn’t a program supported by Sodexho and getting the products on a consistent basis was becoming increasingly difficult. With this cut, we lost the Tyson breaded chicken items—chicken sandwiches, spicy chicken tenders, and popcorn chicken.
In its place is the delicious grilled chicken, part of the 155° grill. They also plan to have weekly specials of elaborate chicken sandwiches, and these looked very appetizing on the signs in the office. Some smaller reductions have been made, primarily doing away with the refrigerator case. This means the salads, pre-made sandwiches, fruit cups, and bottled sodas aren’t on display but are still available upon request. They have been working with Father’s to move the cases in there, along with the greatly missed milkshake machine. It makes more sense to move pre-packed food to the convenience store space and away from the made-to-order grill.
These fallacies could be taken care of with better signs and communication. The sub-connection signs only show pictures of common subs but don’t include the coveted chicken tender sub or the new to-die-for meatball sub. All of the signs are set back from the counter, making it difficult to read them, even for eagle eyes. Even some of the staff members are confused about what new options are available and what requests they can fulfill. The best way to fix these problems is for both students and union dining staff to put more effort into making the transition smoother. If you are unsure about something being offered or you want to alter the food to your liking, just ask. The worst that could happen is that they cannot do it, but you never know until you ask. So before you help spread the rumors from the Rath, keep yourself better informed and start spreading the truth—these changes are here to stay and are a lot better than you think.
