We have lots of complaints coming across the board. I would advise each and every one of you to use your voice and let them know what you like and do not like. We do and they make the changes. We asked for rice at stations everyday and guess what? You can get rice most days at any meal.
The lady that handles the contract is Kristina Hopton-Jones. They contract out to Aramark from what my daughter said in an allergy meeting is that the contractor is not set up to handle allergies and they are huge in the food service industry. Just google Aramark and see how many schools they support. It too many people complain they will have to get better food. Per the directory, email these:
khjones@fa.ua.edu; mealplans@bamadining.com; defalco-aj@aramark.com
I think if we ban together we can get a response on just about anything. UA does not realize how crucial food service is in determining what college you choose to attend.
Please respond here what you emailed and how they responded.
Can I email not for food criticism(?), but for something else?
Like, when I go to lakeside, staffs always yell “WELCOME TO LAKE SIDE” and shout “WOOO!”, SO,SO loud that it’s kind of irritating to me…or is it just me?
^^^ paul2752 I would not email about that. First of all you may find that greeting “irritating” as you put it, whereas others students may find that type of greeting cheerful. Providing a warm welcome to students is part of what makes The University of Alabama homey. Think of the students who need that upbeat welcome if they are feeling tired or even a little homesick. Also, think of the people who work there, They may want to greet students happily (if loudly), so students feel that welcome or it may simply be part of their job. I have worked in many food establishments where a friendly greeting was considered mandatory to guests of that establishment.
The University of Alabama is providing you and other students with so many great opportunities. I think emailing a “criticism” over something minor is in my opinion unwarranted and overly critical.
Oh no I wouldnt write "irritating"that is just rude.
I was gonna write: just do it a bit less
^^^ paul2752 Think you missed my point.
My child complains about food not being available more than an hour before close. Anyone else have that problem?
Oh yeah thats true.
They stop puting new batch an hour before they close.
Again, having worked in food venues, there are procedures in place to minimize food wastes at the end of the day which helps keep overall costs down. I am sure if your student asks for something that they may not see as avavailable someone will try to accommodate them with that item or something similar. In addition, the staff has to clean and prepare for the next day, so I am sure that they are just trying to do their job by putting items away.
It’s very common for stores and restaurants to start cleaning up before closing so the employees can leave shortly after closing. The rationale is that it’s better to have more employees working while the business is open so they can provide better customer service. Closing times are also scheduled for times well after the most popular times so cleaning can happen without inconveniencing lots of customers.
Pro tip: the dining halls do allow special orders, so one can get food cooked specifically for them. If one has a reasonable request, just ask and the employees will do their best to accommodate. For example, not all condiments, notably honey and hot sauce, are out during Lakeside Late Night. Politely request that a specific condiment be available and an employee will go in the back and bring out that condiment.
Thank you @SEA_tide That pretty much sums it up, all items are usually in the kitchen, and in most restaurants food requests can be accommodated even at a late hour, but you do (as the customer) have to be reasonable. Of course, it helps to be extra polite when expecting an accomadation.
Remember that these men and women do a great job of feeding thousands each day.
Just to add (though I know this thread started several days ago): Make sure your students keep some food on hand in their dorms. This is a good idea for emergencies anyway.
Today, emails went out alerting everyone that things would be shutting down at the university due to the weather, and “Operations” included the dining halls and Ferguson. I think it would have been better to explicitly inform students that all dining halls were going to be shut down with no dinner service and no late night dining service. Hopefully, most students had enough common sense to figure this out before discovering the dining halls were closed for the day when they headed out for dinner, or they were told at lunch time by dining hall staff. And using Crimson2Go food delivery or pizza delivery were not really going to work as backups tonight.
So, if you have not already, consider making sure your students have a supply of microwaveable food and food that does not need to be cooked. My son keeps a lot of bottled water, too, because while we did not really anticipate issues with winter weather, we’ve not yet hit the spring time stormy season. Peak tornado season starts in March 
Yes, bottle water is a good idea especially in the winter just in case of a frozen or burst pipe due to freezing temperatures. Easy microwaveable food is good to have on hand but electricity could also go out in an emergency. Have a stash of crackers, peanut butter or other nut butters, jelly, granola bars, tuna fish, or even a few cans of beans. Baked beans could be eaten cold in a pinch. Protein bars and a few other shelf stable foods can really come in handy. Pack them in a box or extra bag and store under your student’s bed. Add a can opener and some plastic utensils to the pack. You could keep this together with their emergency pack, which by the way I think everone should have on hand, include a change of clothes, first aid kit, flashlights, batteries, candles, waterproof matches, emergency blanket, extra phone charger (kept charged), extra set of car/ house keys, copies of ID, medicines and some cash.
And make sure said kid knows how to operate a non-electric can opener!
