Sandella's now open in The Red Door

If you have been downstairs in Seegers Union recently, you have probably noticed the signs for Sandella's, the new dining facility in The Red Door. Sandella's first opened its doors on Mon., March 12, the day after Spring Break. It offers some unique items which can not be found in the General's Quarters or Garden Room, including the very popular Chicken Fajita Quesadilla or Smoked Bacon Pizza. For the vegetarians on campus, Sandella's offers a number of options like the Veggie Quesadilla or the Hummus Wrap. Sandella's is located in The Red Door and its hours are Mon-Thurs from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m..Glenn Gerchman, Director of Dining Services, explains that when deciding what food to serve at Sandella's, dining services tried to pick options that would satisfy a mass portion of the Student Body. They also tried to choose foods that were slightly different to what is normally served on campus. "Students have been telling us that they want more variety with the food. We wanted to bring in something that was a little more unique and not just the typical burgers and fries that you can get in the GQ or Garden Room," said Gerchman.

It was also very important that Sandella's was set up as quickly and efficiently as possible. Gerchman explained, "We wanted to combat the lines in GQ, and Sandella's was a quick solution to fixing this problem. We believe that the long lines are largely due to scheduling issues but unfortunately, that issue can not be helped until the fall of 2007." Most people agree that Sandella's has at least, temporarily, helped the crowds that can normally be seen in GQ from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.. Lois Zielinski, a Sodexho employee who works at the General's Quarters confirms that "the majority of students seem to be going to Sandella's now. I just heard one of the chefs at the grill commenting about how his job has gotten a little easier since Sandella's opened. I have also noticed that the lines are no longer going out the door like they were before."

The process of adding Sandella's to the College first began a few months ago when a food preference survey was passed out among the Student Body. Todd Snyder, the District Manager of Food Services explained that he was impressed when 700 students responded to the survey. He said, "Feedback from the food surveys really helped lead us down the path to what sort of food alternative should be available. The next step was to take a group of Student Council members on a tour of the different food options in the Lehigh Valley area." The Student Council members were taken to Lehigh University, Ursinus College and Moravian College, which are all supplied by Sodexho. The students took taste tests and rated which food items were their favorites.

Barrie Schessler '10, Class Representative, felt that the experience was extremely worth while. "We got to experience what potential our school has to revamp in the 2009 renovations. It also showed us the possibilities of the different types of foods we could bring in like sushi, salads and Mexican food."

Sandella's actually has about 210 different menu items available that can easily be rotated in and out. Gerchman says that "we are waiting to see what the numbers tell us about which menu items are the most popular so that we can determine which ones will stay." Sandella's will only offer about a dozen items at a time because the speed of service is such a critical factor. "The reason why GQ has such a problem with lines is because there are so many different options," explains Gerchman. Rebecca Haverson '10 agrees that the speed of Sandella's service is an important part of its appeal. Haverson said,"With my class schedule, I usually don't have that much time to get lunch but at Sandella's, the lines are a lot shorter and a lot of the food is prepackaged so it makes getting food a lot easier for me."

The general feedback on Sandella's seems to be fairly positive. Snyder comments that "it really is great to work with the students because they give me a lot of feedback right away and so far, we have been very happy with the results."

Despite the positive feedback, there are still some students who believe that there is room for improvement. Jonathan Falk '10 says that he "would like the quality of the chicken to improve." Schessler also agrees that there is still much more room for improvement, not just at Sandella's, but in all of the College's dining facilities. "Our food is on par with other schools, if not better. But our equipment is old and the overall look needs to be modernized because if it looks better, it tastes better. We are in the process of trying to expedite renovations," said Schessler.

There will most likely be many improvements to the College's dining situation in the future but for now, Sandella's seems to be an effective answer to short term problems.