The Birch Dining Commons has introduced a renovated lunch service with new systems and menus.

Starting this trimester, the dining hall has a new lunch system, including a weekly pop-up grill and protein bowl station.

Williston students typically eat most of their meals in the Birch Dining Commons, located on the bottom floor of Ford Hall. Lunch, in particular, is where most of the boarders, day students, middle schoolers, and faculties gather to have lunch.

“[We made this change] for many reasons,” said Chris Couchon, Williston’s Food Service Director. “It is time for something new and the timing was right.”

Couchon explained that changes in culture, from the impact of the pandemic to the growing influence of social media, have shifted people’s expectations for food service. While the school made a significant transition by partnering with SAGE Dining in 2014, the service model and layout have remained largely the same, until now.

Student Council played a key role in sparking the shift, following a February meeting with Couchon.

“After we met with the Student Council in February, their suggestion of a protein bowl got us really thinking about why we were doing what we were doing,” Couchon said.

To bring the new system to life, the dining team welcomed a new Executive Chef, Maureen Benton, along with a few other new cooks and a baker.

Couchon explained that the timing, team, and student input all played a role in the decision to launch the new system this spring.

“Things were lining up and an opportunity like this with some many new talented hands in place, and a whole trimester to experiment with was too hard to resist,” Couchon said. “Our thinking was that we could start with new people from the get-go with some basic ideas and see what works and what doesn’t through this last trimester. It will give us some invaluable information for starting back up in September and give us some time now and over the Summer to work out some of the kinks and see how we can use what we learn to expand what we are doing to Breakfast and Dinner and maybe even expand to additional days.”

Even though the change has not been easy, Couchon thinks it has been exciting.

“We love it. It’s both harder and easier, but mostly it’s just different work. And that’s incredible,” he said. “Anytime you do something for the first time, it’s going to take some extra time to do it. A lot of these ingredients and recipes are new to all of us, so it takes more attention to gather the ingredients, follow the recipe, and try the finished product for the first time.”

Couchon says Sonia Lopez and Mark Guido, cooks who work at stations, as well as Micael Kramer, a cook running the grill, “are really driving this.” Most of the items being offered, including surimi salad, falafel, hummus, and pickled ginger slaw, are made from scratch almost exclusively by Lopez and Guido.

“We are more ‘From Scratch’ than ever before,” Couchon said.

Couchon was initially unsure how students would respond to a weekly menu that didn’t change daily. He anticipated long lines early in the week, with numbers going down towards the end of the week. Instead, it has been the opposite.

“Every day is busier than the one before it,” Couchon said. “We’re seeing a lot of the same faces getting one or the other or both every day. Sometimes coming back for seconds.”

Couchon said he has been thrilled by the students’ response.

“The response has been overwhelmingly positive, and our hope is that we can continue to work with and surprise you to offer new options that you are going to continue to be excited about,” he said. “I love the weekly themes there. It lets people try everything they want without having to worry about not being able to try it because tomorrow it’s going to be something else. And I’m so happy that it seems like the campus is seeing it the same way.”

On Apr. 9, Jake Smith, one of the Wildest Cats, took a survey on his daily email, Smitty’s Scoop, asking, “What do you think of the new dining hall layout?” 96 people responded, and 47% of people responded “It’s good,” 40% of them said “Love it!!,” and 14% of them said, “I liked it better the other way.”

Ava Medaugh, a senior, has tried ramen, “Teriyaki Protein Bowl,” and “Mediterranean Protein Bowl,” and likes this new lunch system.

“I think [the change] is good because it provides us more options,” Ava said. “And some of the stuff that I would have not taken because the line would’ve been too long.”

Anya Zhang, a sophomore, also likes the food they offer.

“I loved the [teriyaki protein] bowl because the chicken was seasoned,” Anya said. “I think the food got upgraded overall.”

Students like Anya and Ava do not mind eating the same food every day for a week.

“It’s also good to know that there is always something that I would want to eat in the dining hall,” Ava said.

“I feel like I would get the same thing every day for a week if there are a lot of choices within that dish,” she said. “For example, for the bowl, I can get different things for toppings every time and change around so I can eat every day. But for things like ramen, I feel like I wouldn’t get it for the whole week because there wasn’t as much variety for the toppings.”

Besides the upgrade in lunch, Ava wants more options for drinks.

“I want a better drink option,” Ava said. “Now, there is really only one place to get a drink, and I have to wait so long just to get a cup of water. Also, I personally want them to offer more carbonated drinks.”

Couchon and the dining hall staff have a lot of menus in the work.

“We have street tacos, southwest bowls, grilled wedge salads/wraps, Mediterranean bowls all menued right now,” Couchon said.

He also expects to see more noodles, pasta, and BBQ items.

Couchon encouraged students to continue sharing feedback and ideas.

“We are truly limited [only] by the imagination of our culinary team and the amazing community we serve here at Williston,” Couchon said. “This WHOLE thing was born out of a nugget of an idea from the Student Council. Small ideas have huge ripple effects. Inspiration can come from anywhere, and even the smallest statement or idea can fuel huge and powerful changes. This was a huge team effort between our talented, committed, and incredible crew and the equally amazing community that we have the pleasure to be a part of. With all of us working together, the potential is endless. So… what’s next?”