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Sodexo’s new, larger comment board is generating a lot of student commentary, such as new ingredient and equipment requests, and is assisting the company in improving students’ dining experience, according to Gary Southard, Nelson Hall’s Chef Manager.

The comment board was placed at the entrances of Nelson and Centennial Halls’ dining facilities early January. The board has received over 30 student responses since the beginning of the quarter.

“We want to find out what students’ changing needs and concerns are,” said Southard.

Most student requests are small, like adding an ingredient to the salad bar or putting up clearer signage. These changes are usually implemented in two to three days. Other requests, such as ordering a new blender or other equipment, take longer because of the necessary approval for additional funds.

According to Southard, the dining hall tries to accommodate most of the requests they receive, but some requests are simply impractical because of budgetary constraints – such as serving steak or lobster – he said.

Other examples of changes based on student feedback are the new bread station next to the international counter in Nelson Hall and the separate vegetarian/vegan counter next to the pizza.

Southard said most of the comments students have left so far have been either positive or have offered serious suggestions.

Sometimes, however, students leave an occasional insult. Even in these cases, he said Sodexo attempts to contact the student to directly address their concerns.

The dining hall comment boards have actually existed for several years and were originally proposed by students.

However, the previous boards received few comments, prompting Sodexo to create the bigger, more visible boards that are present now. Sodexo also conducts quarterly surveys. The surveys are meant to gauge students’ general reactions to the food and service.

Several changes to the dining facilities this year – such as the extended hours seeing Nelson open until 8 p.m., rather than 7 p.m.; the addition of sushi at some locations such as Nagel and the Pub; and the late night dining option at the pub, which is now open from 9-11 p.m. – resulted from the surveys. According to Southard, the comment boards are a permanent installation for the future and will be used as an ongoing effort to collect and respond to student feedback.