This message was sent via email to Lafayette students, and then shared with faculty, staff, and parents.
Dear Students,
First and foremost, we would like to offer a sincere and humble apology for any frustrations you have experienced with Lafayette Dining as we begin the 2023-24 academic year. It is always our intent to create a dining experience that is fun and robust, and meets the needs of all the students we serve. It is apparent that we have fallen short on this promise and that was never our intention.
One of our guiding principles is to always listen–to listen to your concerns with an open mind, to better understand your needs, and to address them in the best way possible. We know that our transition to Lafayette has been a new, and sometimes difficult, process for all of us. With change come challenges, but we are committed to addressing those challenges by creating new solutions and making improvements. We promise you that, and ask that you allow us the opportunity to live up to this commitment.
Allow us to introduce ourselves:
Christine Blaha, Resident District Manager for Lafayette Dining. Christine has spent decades in the higher education dining services industry and is in the process of moving her family from Arkansas to the Lehigh Valley. She has two children that will be attending college soon.
Shawn Fair, General Manager for Lafayette Dining. Shawn has more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, ranging from fine dining to large-scale concessions, hotels to casinos, and everything in between. His wife and their young son are equally excited to join the Lafayette community.
Jason Moyer, Senior Campus Chef for Lafayette Dining. Chef Jason has more than 20 years of culinary experience. He has a daughter who is a freshman in high school, and he has recently relocated back to the Lehigh Valley.
We are thrilled to join the Lafayette community alongside the 150+ employees who were hired from Bon Appetit. It’s important to note that all Bon Appetit hourly employees who worked for Lafayette Dining were offered a position at the same or a higher pay rate, and that seniority and vacation time were maintained. The backbone of a great dining experience is the staff and we greatly value each and every one of them.
Parkhurst Dining is rooted in its deep commitment to quality, great tasting food, our team members, and most importantly, the students we serve every day. We take a great deal of pride in ensuring our customers are satisfied, so it’s incredibly important to us that we implement changes based on your comments and feedback.
Changes we are instituting immediately:
Improved labeling: Nothing is more important than your safety. We are updating our labeling to ensure the allergens are clear and consistently indicated. If you have an allergen and/or dietary restrictions, we want to help you. Please email dining@lafayette.edu and we will arrange a time to meet with you one-on-one, offer assistance, and develop a plan with you.
Vegan and vegetarian options: Clearly marked vegan and vegetarian options are available in Marquis Hall and Upper Farinon. We encourage you to visit the V2 station in both venues for daily entrees.
Halal options: Visit the Inspired Eats station in both Marquis Hall and Upper Farinon for clearly labeled options.
Lower Farinon: Starting tonight, a variety of comfort foods will return to the menu and are available via meal swipes, including chicken tenders, mozzarella sticks, green bean fries, tots, fries, and Vegan chicken tenders. Additional options, including additional Vegan options, will be added in the coming weeks.
Mobile order app: Additional meal-swipe options have been added to the menu listed on the mobile order app for Gilbert’s Cafe and Lower Farinon.
Meal swipes: Two meal swipes can now be used per meal period in all dining venues. This is in addition to guest meal swipes.
Grab and go options: Additional options are being added to ECO Cafe, Lower Farinon, and Skillman Cafe.
In the next few weeks, we will also be implementing additional components to the dining experience:
Miss Jackson’s Kitchen: By mid-September, Miss Jackson’s Kitchen will allow one meal swipe per week.
Dining ad-hoc committee meeting: Next week, we will hold our first in a series of regular meetings with members of Student Government to start a dialogue with students that we know will be valuable to us, address concerns, and constantly improve based on feedback.
Digital signage: Menu options and timely information will be easily accessible at dining locations across campus.
Simon’s Market: We are aware that some of the indicated pricing is incorrect and we are working with our Amazon partners to resolve the inaccuracies.
We also want to clarify that while the hours of operation at the dining venues on campus have remained unchanged, there are a few times throughout the academic year when special events or meetings require select venues to alter hours.
We own our missteps and are working hard to improve your dining experience. Please know we are always interested in your ideas and recommendations for how we can improve. Dining offices are located in Marquis 011. We can also be reached via email (dining@lafayette.edu), Instagram (@lafayette_dining), Facebook, and on the Dining website.
We are excited to be part of this wonderful community and look forward to serving you.
Sincerely,
Christine, Shawn, Chef Jason