As of Tuesday, Jan. 19, Dining Services has started to provide students with access to the Grill and Deli in the Marketplace through self-service.

On the weekends, students have been able to locate the self-serve Grill at the Hearth, while the self-serve Deli is at a side of the salad bar.

All items served at the Grill and Deli are still offered; however, they will now only be self-served on the weekends.

By utilizing a self-serve version of the Grill and Deli, Dining Services has worked to address shortages in staff to ensure that students are provided with the same menu items, even on weekends.

According to first-year Destiny Troy, the self-serve Grill and Deli “doesn’t have very many issues and takes away the need to rush to make up your mind.”

“I remember walking into the Marketplace, and I was confused about the set up of the Grill and Deli, as [were] a number of other students,” Troy continued.

“I really don’t mind it. I know that it’s due to a staffing problem within Dining Services and them not wanting to overwork any of their current employees,” first-year Hope McQuoid said. “It’s only on the weekends and putting together my own sandwich doesn’t really bother me.”

Regarding the way Dining Services addressed the issue and communicated it to students, McQuoid “[knew] a lot of people were confused about it, but the Marketplace had signs up on the Grill and Deli kiosk to explain the situation. I knew about it, but apparently some people didn’t read the sign[s].”

When asked about why Dining Services chose to offer the self-serve Grill and Deli, Residential Dining Chef and Production Manager Charlie Downs said that the self-serve Grill and Deli was created “because of a severe shortage of labor between part-time and full-time employees.” Downs then explained this concept in fuller detail.

“On the weekends we have barely any employees, which is unusual since we pay more when employees work the weekend shifts. We were using our full-time employees by having them work overtime throughout the weekend, but they were tired of working every week,” Downs said. “The self-serve Grill and Deli was a way to offer our services with less labor.”

Additionally, Downs noted how feedback from the students has been positive.

“It’s been very positive,” Downs said. “I was surprised. Students can now make their food how they want it, and we save on labor costs,” he said. “It was done to provide all services possible. People were concerned with allergens at first, but we have worked to address it through discussing concerns one-on-one with them.”

In regard to the self-serve Grill and Deli continuing throughout the rest of the semester, Downs says that it’ll likely continue due to a shortage of staff.

Additionally, offering the self-serve Grill and Deli on the weekend prevents current employees in Dining Services from being overworked.

While there are benefits to the self-serve Grill and Deli, Downs noted that Dining Services hopes that this solution is short-term.

However, Downs emphasized that students at the College have requested that Dining Services continue to offer the self-serve Grill and Deli throughout the week, in addition to the weekends.

“With labor trends, it could be a long-term solution,” he said in regards to whether or not the self-serve Grill and Deli will continue to be offered to combat shortages in labor within Dining Services.

Ultimately, the self-serve Grill and Deli in the Marketplace is likely to continue to be offered on the weekends for the rest of the semester.

Students will have access to all items offered at the Grill and Deli kiosk; however, on the weekends, it will be offered in a self-serve capacity in order to address shortages in staff within Dining Services.

For additional information on the College’s Dining Services department, please visit https://www.etown.edu/offices/dining/index.aspx.