2008 Woodie Awards
DINING OPTIONS AT KEAN
Students, staff, and faculty are given several varieties when it comes to looking for something to eat on campus.
By Meghan Rieger
Issue date: 10/29/07 Section: Features
Coming into college many students probably didn't expect to get the royal treatment when it came to choosing what they ate. No one ever said college food was like mom's homemade macaroni and cheese, but at Downs Hall they look to please as many customers as possible. Themed night dining at Downs Hall has been occurring since the consortium between Gourmet Dining Services and Kean University. Going from a biweekly event to a weekly affair has sparked more interest in Kean students, staff, and faculty this year. The themed specials run throughout the year every Wednesday in order to provide a variety of special buffets, giveaways and entertainment. Mark D'Abundo, Executive Chef for Gourmet Dining Services, has been the mastermind behind most of the lunches and dinners here at Kean.
"I think students like to have things already laid out for them, but we like to have types of dinners that involve interaction between the students," said D'Abundo.
Themed specials, such as the Ice Cream Sundae Bar and Make Your Own Cupcakes, allowed customers the opportunity to become hands on. They were able to customize their own meals in order to provide for their own greatest satisfaction. Last year there was only the themed dinner, however this year the themed lunches were added as a bonus, along with the giveaways. Lunches are generally light while the dinners tend to be more lavish. Since the beginning of the semester, giveaways have been added to the program. Giveaways are done by raffle in which customers put their name and phone number on a ticket. At every dinner event one raffle is chosen at random from a bucket to select a winner. Some giveaways include cash prizes or free dinner gift cards to various restaurants. All raffle prizes are provided by Gourmet Dining Services. The winner's pictures will soon be taken and available to view on the Gourmet Dining Services website (http://www.g-d-s.com/campus/kean/). Also on the website is a complete list of up-coming themed night events.
"I think students like to have things already laid out for them, but we like to have types of dinners that involve interaction between the students," said D'Abundo.
Themed specials, such as the Ice Cream Sundae Bar and Make Your Own Cupcakes, allowed customers the opportunity to become hands on. They were able to customize their own meals in order to provide for their own greatest satisfaction. Last year there was only the themed dinner, however this year the themed lunches were added as a bonus, along with the giveaways. Lunches are generally light while the dinners tend to be more lavish. Since the beginning of the semester, giveaways have been added to the program. Giveaways are done by raffle in which customers put their name and phone number on a ticket. At every dinner event one raffle is chosen at random from a bucket to select a winner. Some giveaways include cash prizes or free dinner gift cards to various restaurants. All raffle prizes are provided by Gourmet Dining Services. The winner's pictures will soon be taken and available to view on the Gourmet Dining Services website (http://www.g-d-s.com/campus/kean/). Also on the website is a complete list of up-coming themed night events.