When a student decides to live on campus, one of the things that can affect them the most is what they have for available dining options. The options available at UNK are limited, given the number of students currently living here.
There are currently seven dining locations: Brewed Awakening, Chick-fil-A, The Graze, The Grid, Java Notes, Starbucks and Subway. Of these seven locations, three are coffee shops, one dining hall and one convenience store.
Compared to the thousands of students who are enrolled and live on campus, seven is a small number of locations to provide to the number of people expected to dine here every day.
Last year, there was an additional location available to students. Louie’s Diner was in University Residence South on west campus, but after the University’s decision to demolish URS, Louie’s Diner was shut down. This decision took away from the already limited dining options.
Of the locations that are available at UNK, some flaws can be found in each of them. To start, three out of the seven locations available are coffee shops. In the Nebraskan Student Union, Starbucks is the busiest location on campus. This is good for business but can also deter students because of the time it can take to get your order.
In the Fine Arts Building, Java Notes is a great option but has the least variety out of the three. In West Center, Brewed Awakening is good but has the least amount of foot traffic due to it being the furthest from the rest of the locations and does not accept meal plans or dining dollars.
The Graze is UNK’s dining hall located in NSU. While the dining hall has the widest selection with a buffet style of different menu options every day, there are flaws with The Graze too. On weekends and holidays, the hours at the dining hall are significantly cut down. The food that is offered at The Graze is not always perfect, with students calling the food subpar.
The Grid, a convenience store, offers snacks and necessities. It’s great that this is available, but it does not compare to the selection of a grocery store. Students who want a sufficient amount of groceries will still need to leave campus for them. The Grid’s selection is closer to what would be offered in a small gas station and makes a better quick snack spot for students than a convenience store.
Subway and Chick-fil-A are both convenient and great options for students and visitors. For these same reasons, during mealtimes, especially if there is an event happening, you can expect both locations to be getting slammed with business. This can cause students who are short on time to avoid them altogether. You are also only given a student discount at these locations if paying through a meal plan or Loper dollars. If you pay with a card or cash, you will be paying the full price, even as a student.
Of the options that are offered, the locations on campus do have good things that make them worth visiting. They are great in that they give opportunities for students to work on campus. They are also the closest options for most students making them more convenient than leaving campus for food. These are great things that come from on campus dining locations, but their flaws are still enough that they should be acknowledged.
