Story by Valetina Garcia, The Saint Reporter
Photo courtesy of Michelle Ried 

Students voiced their opinions and AQ Dining Services listened. The new Wege Dining Hall was revealed after Fall Break, providing everyone something small to look forward to upon the dreadful back-to-school routine.  On Monday, October 26, campus-wide Snapchat stories included pictures of fruit with the Aquinas College filter, thanking Wege for providing us with something besides pineapple and cantaloupe. The improvements to Wege Cafeteria are noticeable and yummy. New additions to the cafeteria include:

• “Emma & Charlie’s,” where you can find pizza, pasta and bread sticks.
•  “Decker’s Deli & More,” where you can build your own sandwiches with anything from regular wheat bread to croissant bread to pretzel bread. Decker’s also provides soup and delicious sides. Personally, I really enjoy the Decker fries and pickles.
• “Homestyle,” the good ol’ Wege home-cooked foods.
• ”Dashi: Ramen Bar,” where you can make your own ramen.
• The nacho bar, which features guacamole and salsa. This section of Wege is being worked on and will become “Taquería” after Thanksgiving break. It will serve tacos, burritos, and nachos.
• The “Vegan and Allergen Sensitive” cooler. There, you can find rice, soy, and almond milk. Also, there are two different dressings for salads in the cooler. Anyone can access this upon gaining entrance into Wege.

The increased variety of fruit in the salad bar cannot be missed. Debbie Urina has worked in Wege Dining Hall for a year and a half and is in charge of the salad and fruit bar. She says that the new additions take a lot of preparation. The effort is appreciated because the blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and kiwi are a nice option for all.

“The fruits and vegetables are seriously what Wege needed,” first-year Victoria Bernhardt said.

Wege is implementing concept dining. Concept dining is described by Urina as “being able to get whatever you want everyday of the week.” If you want nachos now, you can get them everyday versus only on a Wednesday. There is something available everyday now for everyone.

Students were confused as they walked into the new and improved Wege on the Monday back from break but everyone has the hang of it now. There are some things Wege could still improve, like the nachos; the cheese is watery sometimes and the chips are  stale. However, Wege is still in the process of being refined. You can fill out a comment card online at any time or talk to Chef Andy or Marla Poterack, who is the Director of Campus Dining.

“This isn’t high school,” Poterack said; ask for change, and change will be given. Campus Dining does not just want to feed the masses, they want to make sure we are eating what we enjoy. Like Wege has recently proven to us, ask and you shall receive.