After receiving student feedback, starting in Fall 2018, Longwood Dining Services will implement To-Go Meals where students will be able to take out, straight from Dorrill Dining Hall known as the new Outta Here, according to Senior Director of Longwood Dining Services, Grant Avent.
To-Go meals will count as one Meal Exchange swipe but the door rate will still be available to use through bonus dollars and lancer cash. If students want to eat a meal in the Dining Hall and take a meal to go, they will be charged for two meals. They must first swipe at the entrance of Dining Hall and use a meal swipe to eat in the Dining Hall, and then if they would like a meal to go, they will have to swipe again to get the sustainable container, according to Avent.
“Individuals abusing or in non-compliance with this policy will have their to-go privileges suspended and could be brought up on honor code violation,” said Avent.
Students with the Block 225 and Block 160 meal plans can use their seven swipes a week for either the to-go option or the meal exchange. With the Block 80 and Block 50 plans, students can use their five swipes a week for either the to-go option or the meal exchange.
The container, called Green Thread, is sustainable and eco-friendly. It has three compartments: one big and two small. The way that this will work is that once you get one of these boxes, you can fill it up with anything you want said Avent.
“This will also provide more hot options and variety,” said Marketing Assistant of Longwood University Dining Services Ashley Jones.
There are no restrictions on how much a student can fit in the box but “the lid has to close”, according to Jones.
If students want to use the To-Go option again, they have to return each container to be washed by the Dining Services staff, according to Avent.
“You don’t have to dishes again because we do it for you,” said Jones.
The Dining Services are still discussing how the drinks will actually work but there is a possibility of reusable cups provided to students to follow the eco-friendly approach. Students will be able to get their drinks from the drink section inside of the Dining Hall.
Avent thinks that overcrowding won’t be a problem because with the meal exchange program that started last semester, students have the option to choose from Greens to Go, Lancer Park P.O.D., and Outta Here and has lessened overall traffic. With the opening of the new Upchurch University Center in Fall 2018, the traffic will die down even more.
“With the meal exchange (program), we have seen the number of students in the dining hall go down,” said Avent.
Avent hopes that students will be satisfied and embrace it.
We change to meet the changing needs of the students.
Avent encourages students to make suggestions to dining services.
“We have to be more sustainable and do more things, and give the students what they want (but) this is the only way students can do it,” said Avent. “This will be user-friendly for students.”
Starting in Fall 2018, To-Go Boxes will be available at Dorrill Dining Hall to replace Outta Here
