Dear Kent State Community,
We hope you are having a restful and enjoyable summer after the challenging year we have endured. You deserve it! We look forward to a dynamic, in-person campus experience for fall 2021.
Today marks our first day as a self-operating dining program, and we have many exciting developments in our University Dining Services transition that will benefit our students, faculty and staff. In June, the Kent State Board of Trustees approved the selection of US Foods Inc.- Premier as our primary food vendor. We are happy to begin working with our new partners.
Expanded Dining Options
It is a pleasure to announce that we are working to retain Starbucks, Einstein Bros. Bagels and Auntie Anne’s Pretzels as part of Kent State’s dining operations for the year ahead. Wild Blue Sushi as well as a new deli concept and a smoothie/grab-and-go location in the Beverly J. Warren Student Recreation and Wellness Center are also joining the lineup.
The Deli, the Rec Center location, Hippie Chick’n, The Patio and the Fork in the Road food truck locations will be part of our expanded meal exchange offerings for the 2021-22 academic year! The meal exchange gives flexibility for students on an All-You-Care-To-Eat and Block meal plan allowing them to redeem one meal swipe per meal period for an option outside of the dining hall locations.
Dining locations will open on a rolling basis throughout the remaining summer weeks as employees return to on-campus work. Starbucks, Einstein Bros. Bagels and Golden Flash Bistro will be open throughout July and August, while other locations in the Kent Student Hub as well as the DI Dining facility will be open at the beginning of August. Please look for more information soon about a special dining opportunity at DI Dining for all employees on Aug. 4. Eastway opens Aug. 18 to offer dining options to students as they move in, and all dining locations will be open by Aug. 23.
We have also added convenient mobile ordering capability through Grubhub that can be used at select dining locations in the year ahead. Grubhub is available for all student, faculty and staff members who have the Grubhub app!
Opportunities to Join Our Team, Provide Input
For students who are seeking employment, there are opportunities galore! Begin your campus employment journey by visiting our employment search page.
Throughout the month of July, we will welcome some new faces in University Dining Services including:
- Bradley Halverson, assistant director, staffing and training
- Laura Rodriguez, administrative assistant
- Sommer Dunlevy, assistant director, marketing
- Eliot Norris, associate director and campus executive chef
- Laura Roach, associate director, operations, Dining Services
Our partnership with the greater Kent community is important as we continue our dining services alignment. We are inviting the community to a forum on July 19 at 1 p.m. to develop a shared vision for the ways the local Kent community can partner with Kent State dining operations and share ideas, opportunities and aspirations as Kent State moves fully into a self-operation dining structure.The forum will be held in the Community Resource Room at Kent Police Headquarters, 301 S. Depeyster St.
For the latest information on the upcoming changes in University Dining Services, visit the University Dining Service website. We are excited about the continued elevation of our dining program and look forward to serving our university community as we progress through this transition.
Continue to enjoy your summer.
Sincerely,
Lamar R. Hylton, Ph.D.
Vice President for Student Affairs