After a year of swiping into the caf whenever you please, you may be ready to try other eating establishments on campus. A fan favorite is the Bison. It has a wide range of options for all dietary needs and it is located right in the middle of campus. The a la carte menu allows you to pick and choose, satisfying any small or large craving. But if you are new to the Bison, there are a few things you need to know.
Put your stuff down at a table before you get food. Bucknell is a safe campus. While I don’t recommend leaving your laptop on the table in sight and unattended, if you leave a backpack or jacket to claim your table, Bucknellians will note it respectfully.
Speak up and let the Bison employees know what you want. If you get a quesadilla, and it goes in with a burrito, it probably won’t melt the cheese enough. If you are willing to wait and ensure a perfect quesadilla, ask for it to be left in a little longer. This also applies to Daily Dish lunch sandwiches (Chicken Pesto Panini is a personal favorite).
Get to know the employees at the wrap station. Some wrap better than others, and some will even remember your order if you go frequently.
For food from the grill, you have to fill out a form. The white slips are lunch and dinner items, while the yellow slips are breakfast items (served all day). If you are getting toast, ask for your toast “double toasted” in the comments section of the slip to get it perfectly toasted.
If you want a smoothie, put in a slip first thing. If you are eating lunch during peak hours, 12-1pm and you want a smoothie, we highly recommend putting in a smoothie slip and then waiting in line for a sandwich or salad somewhere else. Usually it takes some time. Click here for some good smoothie combinations. This also applies to grilled cheese and tomato soup day. Put your order for grilled cheese in first then go get your soup.
There’s plenty of avocado. You can get guacamole from Mexican and toast and eggs from the grill to make delicious avocado toast. You can also get avocado spread from the Deli station and slices of avocado from the quinoa station (when available).
Salad is by weight. The salad bar is much smaller than the ones in the Caf and Terrace Room, but if still has most of the basics. Just be aware that if you load it up with heavy beets and beans, if will weigh and cost more! New at the Bison is chopped salad, which you can get at the wrap or sandwich line (again, it is by weight so adding chicken tenders can make it a little pricey!)
You can get half of a sandwich. At the deli, you can ask for only half a sandwich. This allows you to pull a Panera and get some soup or salad. We like options and variety.
Mac and Cheese Monday. Every Monday the stir fry station turns into a Mac and Cheese station where you can choose the type of cheese and a variety of vegetables and meats to mix in if desired. This is perfect option for those trying to honor meatless Mondays.
Quinoa is only at lunch (sort of). The quinoa station closes at dinnertime (it turns into the stir fry station). However, you can still get quinoa at Bada Basil, the mix-ins are a little different, but still tasty and yes, there is still pesto.
BBQ station has some great side options. The smoothie bar transforms into the BBQ station at dinner. BBQ allows you to get a plate, which includes meat (steak, pulled pork, pulled chicken etc), two sides and cornbread or a biscuit. You can also get sides alone. The stuffed peppers and pesto pasta salads are definitely something to look for.