The Edmondson Dining Hall at Collins has stopped serving its traditional lunch buffet.
Sandy Porter, general manager of the Edmondson Dining Hall, said during the past couple years, fewer and fewer students were eating the lunch buffet.
“It didn’t seem like we were serving the best amount of people,” Porter said.
Porter decided to sit down with students and find a better way to serve them. She said many students gave them feasible options for different foods Collins can serve instead.
Porter said they brainstormed with these students about what new options they would like to see added to the menu.
Each menu will also have rotating specials added every once in a while.
Although the buffet is no longer in service, Collins still serves lunch through the grill and the deli.
Porter said they have added new items to both menus.
For Sandra Fowler, director of dining at RPS, a lack of students can affect the freshness of the food.
“It’s very difficult to keep that entrée looking fresh when you don’t have the traffic,” Fowler said.
The previous lunch buffet offered an entrée with sides, usually fruit or vegetables. The grill has made-to-order breakfast and lunch, including sandwiches, burgers, fries, chicken strips and calzones.
The deli offers paninis, coffee, bagels, donuts and many grab-and-go items. There is also a salad bar, which Porter said has new items this year, and a sandwich topping bar.
The lunch buffet may be closed, but the traditional dinner buffet is still open. Porter said they see high numbers of students eating at the dinner buffet.
Porter is always looking for new suggestions and concerns from students, she said.
“We don’t want students to get tired,” Porter said. “We want to change our menu based on the trends of what students want.”
