Kent State University’s Dining Services has partnered with Tapingo to enable students, faculty and staff to order their meals online, pay electronically via their meal plan or credit card and request a pickup time. The service is expected to launch this fall, with a deployment date of Oct. 1.
Tapingo will allow Dining Services’ customers to order, pay and pick up their meals, skipping the lines. In addition, Tapingo will provide a service where customers’ orders will be delivered within 30 minutes. Delivery is phase two of the deployment, with the plan to roll out prior to Northeast Ohio’s snowy season!
More than 80 percent of college-aged students have a smartphone. Their phone is an engrained part of their day and learning experience. Social media, text messaging and now mobile ordering are integral in making students’ dining experiences easier and more convenient.
Dining Services also has announced the following updates for fall 2016:
Ritchie Hall Coffee Shop Rebranded to Moyo Café, the Heart’s Home
Dining Services will bring Sweet Unity Farms’ coffee to the Kent Campus this fall. Coffee bags will be sold at all three on-campus markets (Eastway Deli, Munchie’s Market and Rosie’s Rations) and will be featured at the Ritchie Hall coffee/snack location. The Ritchie Hall coffee shop was previously known as Jazzman’s, but will be rebranded to Moyo Café, the Hearts Home.
David Robinson, son of baseball legend Jackie Robinson, founded Sweet Unity Farms Coffee in Tanzania, Africa, in 1989. Sweet Unity Farms’ main mission is to strengthen the economic infrastructure of farming villages and improve the living conditions of the farmers and their families.
David Robinson will visit Ritchie Hall on the Kent Campus on Sept. 19, where he will have a meet-and-greet grand opening celebration from 1-3 p.m.
George T. Simon III Café Opens in the New Center for Architecture and Environmental Design
Dining Services will open a café in the new Center for Architecture and Environmental Design. Tucked under the grand stairs, the George T. Simon III Café will serve delicious, healthy flatbreads, sandwiches, grab and go, as well as breakfast items.
This trendy café will feature Storm Mountain Coffee Roasters “nitro” coffee, as well as other delicious drinks. Storm Mountain Coffee Roasters are local – located in Huron, Ohio. Nitro cold brew is the latest craze and is dispensed from a keg. With the nitrogen infusion, the coffee has a better taste and texture and is known for its crispness!
Prentice Café Certified Gluten-free Facility
Dining Services is always reaching to new heights to serve the Kent State community. Increasingly, students are entering the university with special dietary needs. Dining Services has its own dietitian, Megan Brzuski, who reaches out and provides counseling and advice to students dining on campus.
From special menus such as Veggie-A-Go-Go and gluten-free call ahead to stations such as Simple Servings at Eastway Café that offer food choices free from the FDA’s seven most-common allergens, Dining Services continues to provide safe, healthy dining zones. Dining services has sought certification for Prentice Café as gluten-free. Prentice Café will feature many healthy choices from vegetarian and vegan to organic and locally grown and will ensure delicious food choices at every meal.
For more information about Kent State’s Dining Services, visit www.kent.edu/dining.
