During the fall semester, Binghamton University Dining Services (BUDS) established new ways to serve our students in the age of COVID-19; streamlined menu options, packaged to-go foods, and reduced dine-in seating were among the many changes that contributed to reduced capacities and increased speed of service. The fall semester was our opportunity to adapt to the many restrictions necessary to keep our community safe – we learned a lot!

 

The launch of the Spring semester will mark the opening of new concepts and increased menu options in resident and retail dining as compared to the Fall semester. The ability to reintroduce more food choices while remaining in compliance with safety protocols has allowed us to expand our menu options. These changes were made possible through the feedback we received from students, customer surveys, and the Student Culinary Council. BUDS chefs challenged themselves with applying this feedback to make significant updates to all menus across campus. 

 

Entrées and sides have been added to our 35-day rotating resident dining menu cycle, increasing variety at our breakfast, lunch, and dinner periods. These new menu options will be found daily at our hot lines and Simple Servings – our allergen friendly station at C4 and Appalachian dining halls. Our pizza stations will also offer another specialty pizza adding to their daily assortment of choices. 

 

This semester we will be introducing B-Cuisine: Student’s Choice at Appalachian dining hall. This new station concept was developed from student feedback on their dining hall food favorites. The station will feature a menu for students who prefer more indulgent, craveable meals.

 

Our team used the results tabulated from a fall survey administered by students and Rabbi Benny, Kosher Korner Rabbi, to develop a new menu for the Kosher Korner in C4 dining hall.  The rotating menu includes more of the students’ preferences. An additional Kosher entrée and sides have been added to each meal period.

 

More variety has been added to the weekly menu offered at Gifts from the Garden. The all-vegan station at College-in-the-Woods dining hall will now offer a Build-Your-Own Hot Pot and a sweet and savory Sweet Potato Toast as part of its weekly rotating menu of nutritious, well-balanced meals.

 

Parkway Shakes will make its debut at the MarketPlace this Spring semester, replacing the Bearcat Bakery. Parkway Shakes will offer a variety of Hershey’s ice cream stuffed milkshakes including the Bearcat Pride, a refreshing green mint chip ice cream milkshake made with chocolate sauce, Nutella, Oreos, Baxter sprinkles and whipped cream–school spirit never tasted so sweet! Cakes & Eggs has been rebranded to Breakfast, Burgers & Beyond. The station will continue to offer fresh breakfast favorites with the addition of customizable breakfast platters, available until late morning. A rotating gourmet burger menu with tasty sides will be served for lunch and dinner, with an occasional pop-up menu special.

 

The Chenango Room will open with Serrano, a Chipotle-style menu where diners can build their own burritos & bowls, taco salads, and street tacos! The on-campus restaurant will continue to offer an a la carte menu of traditional entrée salads, sandwiches, and more.

 

The new Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences building is opening in downtown Johnson City, NY and we are looking forward to serving the faculty, staff, and students at the Health Sciences Campus. The building will feature a beautiful, industrial style food court where we will offer We Proudly Serve Starbucks® coffee beverages, hot breakfast favorites, Kalamata–an authentic made-to-order Mediterranean food concept, grab-n-go meals, and more.

 

As you can see, BUDS has been busy getting ready to re-open and we are excited to be able to offer these new services while maintaining the safety and well-being of the campus community. The health and safety of our staff and students will remain an integral part of our daily business throughout the Spring semester.

 

We invite you to stay updated on dining services by visiting our website – it is a great resource to learn about our dining locations, hours of operation, meal plans, nutritional resources, provide feedback and more.