43% Impressed with Self-Operated Dining Services, Yet “Not Everyone Likes Fish”

Four weeks into the school year, most students have an impression of the new Frank and Frary after the shift from a ten-year partnership with food management provider Sodexo to self-operated Dining Services. The new management focuses its attention on buying fresh locally grown food, raising Pomona’s sustainability ratings and making students more interested in what they eat and where it comes from.
 
What do students think about the changes? A Her Campus Pomona poll, which asked students whether they are happier with Frank and Frary under the new management, shows that 78% of voters have a positive opinion of the changes that have occurred over the last four weeks. 43% of the pleased think that a lot has changed, while 35% don’t see a lot of difference but like the idea of operating locally.
 
The best consequence of the shift in management is the active dialogue that has been established between the students and their food providers. The Comments board at Frary is packed with student feedback, which is read and responded to by the cheerful-sounding  “Justin+Sam” (Justin McGruder, Executive Sous Chef, and Samantha Meyer, Sustainable Food and Purchasing Coordinator). Most importantly, student voices are actually heard and some of the requested changes have materialized in a matter of days. Just remember those painful hummus-less brunches and the few even more torturous spicy-hummus-only ones that followed. But that’s over now.
  

_{The best consequence of the change in dining management is the fact that for the first time in a while Pomona students feel like their likes and dislikes are taken into consideration. HC Pomona poll shows that 78% of voters are happy with some aspects of the transition.} 
 
Among the much appreciated newcomers at the dining hall are fresh avocado slices on open-toast sandwiches, a better fruit selection, edamame, and sushi-grade tuna and mahi mahi salad. However, as one comment points out, “Not everyone likes fish.” Meat-lovers seem most offended by the new Meatless Mondays, which, ironically, haven’t really impressed vegetarians and vegans either.
 
Other changes are still works in progress, much to the dismay of fro-yo lovers, personal pizza addicts, and pretty much every student on this campus conditioned to think that Wednesday night is sushi night. “We want SUSHI,” reads the most obvious comment currently pinned on the Frary board, displaying a realistic picture of two pieces of sushi for illustration. Her Campus Pomona is grateful to the author of this note because we indeed want sushi!
 
Like many a political transition, and we’ve learned that food is very political, the shift to self-management is neither smooth nor painless. Some changes that involve the purchase of new machines and equipment threaten to take longer than students are willing to wait. 13% of the polled are not hopeful about the changes and think that the dining service is actually worse. 9% think that everything is the same. They must not be eating on campus very often—what is happening now is history writing itself on a comment board.