New pizza ovens. Seasonal menus. Fresh foods. Bon Appetit has brought in a whirlwind of change to Pacific University’s dining services.
From completely renovating the cafeteria, to bringing in new cooking technologies, the staff for Pacific’s new dining service have spent the summer preparing the Pacific Cafe for the start of fall term.
Rather than having a recycled rotation of recipes, the chefs at Bon Appetit write their own menus. Every day, meals are cooked from scratch. General Manager for Bon Appetit Ethan Davidson is excited for students to experience the dining service’s food.
“No day will have the same menu twice,” Davidson said. Recipes might show up again here and there, yet no day will have the same menu twice.
Another difference is that Bon Appetit’s food is fresh, local and seasonal. Even their new Evo station — a vent-less cooking station — is from Tualatin. Whether it be stir fries, pastas, or meat, the station allows food to be cooked out in front of everyone. Food is cooked to preserve flavor and nutrition, and the cafeteria offers a wider array of vegetarian and vegan options.
Not only is the food different, but the design of cafeteria has changed as well. Before renovation, red and orange panels enclosed the cafeteria, yet Davidson specifically wanted to strip the panels to open up the cafeteria. Now, the panels are clear glass.
“The staff has put so much energy and effort into renovation,” he said. “It’s important to me that people see the changes.”
Even the layout of the cafeteria is created to be modern and functional. Stations such as soup and salad have moved to create an easier flow of traffic for students.
Along with changes to the cafeteria, the Grove Market — once known as the P.O.D. — has been renovated for a more modern look. With fresher, natural foods, the style of products is different and grab-and-go food is made in house and sold at the market.
At the time this article was written, hours for the cafeteria are still being discussed as they will differ from Aramark’s hours. However, students can visit Bon Appetit’s website at pacificu.cafebonappetit.com/ for the most updated hours or if they have any suggestions.
Lillian
Thank you for this informative piece! It was very useful in catching me up on the recent changes.
Would you consider doing a follow-up evaluative piece now that Bon Appetit is in full swing?
While Bon Appetit has a larger variety of food and higher quality, as well as other positive changes, there are still some major concerns yet to be addressed in the newspaper or by Bon Appetit themselves. For starters, they originally state they would try to keep pre-existing employees. However, employees who have contributed to Pacific welcoming community for years, such as Jean Babcock and Connie Cutright, were forced to leave. Additionally, Bon Appetit claims to value sustainability, but has removed food composting, and reverted back to ceramic plates (in contrast to Aramark’s more sustainable bamboo ones) and single-use hot beverage cups. The most recent development, charging students an additional $5 for reusable food containers when students already have one, and refusing to exchange old containers for new ones for free, is also worrisome.
A more analytical and balanced look at Bon Appetit would be much appreciated, and would better inform Pacific students. Thank you very much for your time and consideration! Your hard work is always appreciated!