Just in time for the holidays, the Student Caucus is excited to announce a major victory in the Hungry for Choice campaign!

In the coming year, students can expect food trucks on campus, more variety at outlets, better dietary information, and more. By the summer of 2018, campus will be open to independent food providers.

“Director Glenn Read and his TRU Food Services team have demonstrated a concerted effort to understand and address students’ concerns,” said Mwansa Kaunda, Student Caucus Chair, “and they really stepped up in seeking out and creating innovative partnerships and solutions.”

Food services satisfaction ratings in the Student Budget Consultation survey showed there was need for substantial change. TRU Food Services has committed to a series of actions related to each of the food services recommendations in the Student Budget Consultation Report 2017/18:

1. To introduce market competition to campus food services:
   • Permit a select number of local food trucks onto campus starting in Winter 2017
   • Work with various food companies to introduce a broader range of food options/concepts at the International Café and Upper Level Café in Winter 2017
   • Determine a broader range of food options and a redesigned layout for the Trades Café in Fall 2017, to be implemented in conjunction with the new Industrial Training and Technology Centre in Winter 2018
   • Allow private food service providers on TRU Community Trust properties (not bound by the exclusivity contract) in Summer 2018
2. To address nutritional deficiencies and accommodate dietary restrictions:
   • Provide nutritional information on the TRU Food Services website and the TRU GO app starting in Winter 2017
   • Provide signage outside each food outlet indicating available dietary choices and hours of operation starting in Winter 2017
3. To extend food service hours of operation:
   • The Den extended its hours of operation by four hours to 10:00PM Monday to Friday and changed to an all-ages venue starting Fall 2016
   • Tim Horton’s extended its hours of operation by one to two hours on Monday through Thursday starting Fall 2016
   • Additional hours at other outlets will be considered based on events or overall campus activity on an ongoing basis
4. To improve the promptness of food service:
   • Continue to work with district managers from Tim Horton’s and Starbucks to streamline processes and reduce wait times
   • Install “line up” cameras at Tim Horton’s and Starbucks that can be viewed on the TRU GO app starting in Winter 2017

These changes improve the availability of and information about wider food options on campus, and are expected to address key issues of value, hours, and variety.

“Students were hungry for choice,” Kaunda continued, “and we are excited to work with TRU on what each stage of their proposed improvements will put on the menu.”

To stay up-to-date on all of TRU’s responses to your priorities, check out the Student Budget Consultation webpage!
 

For more information contact:

Check out the Full Response from TRU Food Services Here!

[su_button url=”https://trusu.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Food-Services-Response-to-TRUSU.pdf” style=”soft” background=”#008000″ size=”8″ radius=”5″ text_shadow=”0px 0px 0px #9b9494″]TRU Food Services Response to the TRUSU Budget Consultation[/su_button]