Maria Geis

The Tobin Dining Hall is the main dining option at Casper College, provided through Sodexo Food Services. 

Students are offered options from the grill, pasta bar, and the chef’s table along with a salad and dessert bar. However students looking to eat or consume healthier options are occasionally left unsatisfied with their meal. 

Knowing the planning behind meals could help students better understand that not every meal will be the perfect option, and feedback for the dining hall can help Sodexo know what to improve on. Sodexo General Manager Daniel Parsons puts a lot of work into creating a plan for the dining hall meals. Basics of Sodexo’s budgeting starts at the macro level, looking at yearly, then monthly costs, and is then narrowed down to micro details of weekly and daily costs. Cost per plate has to be considered too. 

“We do have a plate cost that we try to stay in.” Parsons said, “And here in Tobin, where it’s all you care to eat, it can be tricky.” There are some special days where the daily budget stretches a bit to provide a more unique meal for things such as Cinco De Mayo or a seafood boil.

Many who eat in the dining hall have mixed feelings about the main meals served. Casper College student Nick Mirabal describes the meals as being hit or miss, which is a criticism echoed by many diners. The issue they say is quality. According to some CC students, the meat,  usually chicken and pork, is overcooked or undercooked, and meals don’t always look appealing. Students suggest an improvement of quality. “I think it really comes down to quality checks.” Mirabal said, “Just spending more time making sure that the food is more consistent.” Overall, students hope to see improvements to the looks and quality of the food provided in the Dining Hall.

Parsons’ goal is to have all customers satisfied with the meals, but is also aware that he is not going to please everyone, explaining that there are multiple options for a reason. Also, when talking about nutrition standards, Parsons says that there isn’t a certain nutrition standard to meet because it is a voluntary program. He explains, “That’s where our signage program comes in. Where students are growing and learning to take care of themselves, we provide the tools for them to make good choices.” Each meal option other than the salad bar has Aside from the salad bar, each meal option has a display with nutritional facts like gluten, milk, peanuts, ect, or shows if it is a vegetarian, vegan, or mindful option. 

Signage plays an important role in helping people eating at the dining hall know the options being offered. It also guides those with allergies on what to avoid and is acceptable for their personal needs. Both physical and digital signs are posted in the dining hall and online. Sodexo uses the Everyday app and the Casper College website provides the dining hall menu along with nutrition facts and calculators. 

Meals are planned out in a five week cycle, so mune the menu options ahead of time to help make a better judgment of the main meal is a good option for students. Parsons hopes to get a voluntary message program going so that customers can be notified about special days or spontaneous changes to the menu, which some students think is a good idea.

Sodexo has preference and satisfaction surveys twice a year to gain information that will help determine what they are going to do in the future. Those who eat at the dining hall should participate in the surveys to help give Sodexo better insight on what to improve. It also helps planners know what is working well and what to continue doing. 

“You know, there’s a lot of thought that goes into things that I hope everybody sees, but I can’t always get the message to everyone.” Parsons said.  

There is a lot to keep in mind when it comes to making meals for a college campus. Together, providing opinions and insight as a consumer, and planners analyzing and using the feedback will help make eating at Tobin Dining a better experience overall.