On most weekdays at 11:00 a.m., sophomore Amirah Shakir heads to the “Simply 3 Zone” at Crossroads Dining to eat every day. But in a change from last year, Shakir, who suffers from gluten intolerance, now asks for a different meal every day, hand-crafted by the cafeteria workers.

On one recent morning, Shakir watched eagerly as the cafeteria workers prepared her daily gluten-and-dairy-friendly meal. Shakir can enjoy meals without the stress or fear that food would be cross-contaminated. A stark difference to the prior meals she had during the spring semester

Before this semester, Shakir and other students with allergies had to choose options from “Sizzle,” a zone serving basic meals like burgers or chicken nuggets, or the Simply 3 Zone, an area by the dishwashing station. 

The Simply 3 Zone, the newest addition to the Café, is named after avoiding the three most common allergens of nuts, dairy, and gluten. Each meal is prepared fresh for students each day on a cooking stone, allowing for various options to be cooked at this station.

While the Simply 3 Zone has options similar to the prior Simple Zone, enhancements have been made to provide individuals with freshly cooked options compared to the previous microwavable food items. 

“I feel better about eating, and I’m not eating the same thing every day,” Shakir said. “I feel more inclined to eat, and I feel more inclined to go to the Café. I feel happy about paying for a meal plan and having the options like everybody else.”

The Café now provides more options for students with gluten and dairy allergies. However, there are still advancements that need to be made to accommodate individuals with all allergies.

“I mostly will go to the Simply 3 just because I know there are safer options,” Shakir said. 

One issue with the new setup is that the meal options are limited to those with allergies. Shakir finds that sometimes the meals are not necessarily what she enjoys; thus, she is forced to roll the dice at Sizzle, where precautions are not always taken.

While options are provided for the gluten intolerant, this is not the case for people with other allergies.

“I am allergic to monosodium glutamate or MSG, which is a flavor enhancer in a lot of seasonings, cheese, and a lot of foods,” said Brooke Christensen, a third-year student. “When I came to CUC, they said there would be a lot of accommodations, and I would be updated about what includes MSG.”

Instead, Christensen said, CUC did not provide accommodations for her MSG allergy. She worked through the food options through trial and error and, eventually, just three things she could safely eat. “A burger, a wrap with chicken, and a salad is about it,” Christensen said.

While ingredients are listed and displayed in the Simply 3 Zone, Christensen finds the seasoning of the food to be ambiguous, which prevents her from receiving prepped food at the Café.

“I preferred it in the back where I could see the ingredients,” Christensen said. “Although it says Simply 3, the ingredients are still vague, like the seasonings.”  

In the Simply 3 Zone, seasonings for food are labeled as assorted seasonings, which could include MSG.

“For extreme allergies, we handle that on a one-on-one experience, but if they need to find the exact list of ingredients, they can go to the Everyday app and then pull the item out that way,” said Frank Budig, the food services general manager.

Although all dietary restrictions are not fully accommodated, students have noted other changes to Café food, such as smaller portion sizes at other stations. 

“I think food-wise, the dining hall is a lot better,” said Tatum Freeman, a sophomore nursing student with dairy and fruit intolerances. “But they are a lot stingier with the food, where last year if I was hungrier, I would be able to get more, but this year it is at max one plate.”

Budig denied that the dining hall had intentionally reduced portion sizes. 

“We are always cognizant of waste; our portion sizes have not gone down, not as I know of,” said Budig. “I like that the kids are coming, especially after they work out, and we constantly try to remind students that you can always come back. Students can return to get their plates, but their eyes can be bigger than their stomachs sometimes.”

The perceptions of reduced meal size may be due to how the portions are handed out. While students receive a set amount of food, if the slice of meat they receive is small, students then assume portions have gone down. But, students are free to return to any station as much as they like.

Other additions to the Café have been made besides the Simply 3 Zone. Right next to Classics, the Café has added personalized food prep stations where students can prepare their meals.

“I think it’s great that students with allergies have more access to food at the dining hall, but I think it could be prepared better,” Freeman said. “I do think they should add the menu back to the website or navigate because it is harder for people to find out what and when they can eat it.”

The Den has seen some updates as well. Through the Everyday app, students with allergies are now able to see all menus and customize their food order to protect themselves better, and Gluten-free bread is now available.

“The Den has stepped up this year. Last year, they had minimal options and didn’t include ingredients for a lot of the food options,” said Freeman. “This year, people with food sensitivities or allergies can access more food now with less waiting times, which makes the den an overall better place to be.”

Sodexo and the Cafe take recommendations from students, which can be made directly to Budig, the students on the Cafeteria Committee that meet with Sodexo, or the Café’s office located right outside of Crossroads Dining. This helps with fixes and additions that need to be made, like the new Simply 3 Zone.

“The Café is a work in progress, the things we are doing are always in response to what is common or happening on campus,” Budig said. “We are always changing because the students are always changing, and we make as many adjustments within the University’s budget.”

The Café is a developing and changing location at CUC with additions made depending on the constantly changing student body, however, the adjustments currently made are providing beneficial experiences for students with common allergies. 

“I think they’re doing a much better job than last year, and I’m happy that they said they were going to make changes and that they did them,” Shakir said.