Mississippi State University dining services is getting a face lift for the fall 1996 semester. A new meal plan, evening services and building renovations are scheduled to begin in August, Vicki Clark, director of dining services, said.
Currently Perry Cafeteria offers breakfast and lunch to students and faculty Monday through Friday. Around 1,600 people are served during the hours of 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and another 400-500 during the 7 to 10 a.m. breakfast hours, Clark said.
The Cafeteria has been closed in the evening for the past two years, but that will change in the fall with the start of the new meal plans. There have been many complaints and requests for an evening place to dine and for a buffet service, Clark said.
With the implementation of Planet Perry, as the new plan is called, students will be able to purchase a meal plan geared toward individual eating styles, and it is based on the evening meal, which will be an all-you-can-eat style, Clark said.
The Cafeteria will offer a wide variety of items from which students can choose all three meals. Breakfast will include an omelette bar and fresh fruit. Lunch and supper will have a salad, sandwich, pasta and potato bar. There will also be a section of entrees and a pizza buffet. Supper will be the only meal with an all-you-can-eat buffet, Clark said.
“One downfall to this plan is that in the evenings you will have to pay to come in,” Clark said. “Students cannot just come in and sit with (others) while they eat, they will have to pay as if they were going to eat.”
This will probably not decrease interest, though, Clark added.
The meal plans are based on the evening meal, then increase in increments based on whether the student purchases plans for one, two or three meals a day, Clark said. An added benefit: the plan is good for any of the restaurants in Colvard Student Union, the State Fountain and the snack shops on campus.
Changes in locations for other food services are scheduled for the new semester. Gooch’s Deli is being renovated for next fall, Clark said. It will house a pizza restaurant and small convenience store, as well as a sitting place for diners, Clark said. The Great Wall, a Chinese restaurant, has already moved to Perry Cafeteria and will stay there on a trial run until renovations are complete in about eight months.
Clark said students who do not purchase the meal plans will not be excluded from the evening dining services. A price of $6.25 has been set for the meal and can be paid each time anyone comes to eat.
The meal plans are designed to offer students five evening meals while only charging for four, Clark added. Dining Services recognizes many students go home on the weekends, so if they stay and eat, it will really be a free meal, she explained.
However, if the money set aside per day is not used, it is lost. But if the students are careful, know what they will need and use their money wisely, the meal plans will help them tremendously, Clark said.
“Dining Services does not get any funding from the University,” Clark said. “We have to be completely self sufficient. We do not want to make a profit, or we would be charging too much; we just need to cover our costs,” Clark added.
This is a strictly voluntary plan, Clark said. There will be a student-based committee to determine whether students should be excused from their meal plan contracts, but it will pretty much be allowed if there is a conflict. We just want students to be sure before they sign up, Clark said.
All students interested in the new dining plans are encouraged to check out the brochures which are located in the Cafeteria. Any questions may be directed to Clark at 325-2965.
