By Clara Gilleland 

Photo by Harley Ryan

With the new menu in place at the Grill located in Brandt Student Center, students seem to be enjoying the change from last year’s menu. Last year, the menu offered different choices daily, meaning students might be able to purchase cheeseburgers on Monday, but chicken fingers on Tuesday. This year, the Grill’s menu changed to incorporate standards that are available daily, such as cheeseburgers, hamburgers, and chicken tenders, as well as specials that can vary from each day. This provides students with the ability to have the convenience of knowing that certain options will always be available to them, regardless of the specials of the day.

Sophomore and business administration major Jenna Rampale noted the convenience of the new menu. “I like how it’s fast,” she stated, saying that as an athlete, she can grab food quickly and always knows what’s available so there’s no need to spend time browsing a menu. Compared to the old menu, Rampale said the new one is “more variable,” saying “you’re able to get something every day” that is part of the “basic structure” of standard food items that are available every day for students, as well as the different options that vary from day to day. “Before it was a bit of a gamble,” she said about the old version of the menu, but she enjoys the options now, rating the new menu a “4 out of 5.”

Photo by Clay Dubberly

Senior psychology major Jessica Brown says the new menu is “definitely easier” based on the new options. Because of her food allergies, Brown says she struggles at times with finding food options in the Allen Dining Hall that do not conflict with her allergies. “I prefer the Grill,” she says, “just because I don’t have to worry about cross-contamination as much.” Brown also stated that she would choose the Grill over other on-campus dining options because “it’s just easier to get what you want,” and that “you know if you come you can get something you want.” Like Rampale, she also rated the new Grill menu a 4 out of 5, and said she would be “pretty likely” to recommend the Grill to a new Shenandoah University student looking for an on-campus dining option.

One point that both Rampale and Brown said they would change about the Grill menu is the offering of chips as a standard side with meals rather than French fries. “Definitely fries instead of chips,” Brown answered when asked what she would change about the Grill menu if given the opportunity. “I definitely agree as well,” Rampale said, adding also that because the Allen Dining Hall now offers gluten free cookies, “it feels like it’s just natural to offer them here as well.”

Clay Dubberly, a sophomore piano performance major, however, disagreed, saying that “the potato chips at the Grill are too soggy and soft for me to enjoy. I’m okay with not having fries, but I would prefer better potato chips.”

It seems that in general, students are much more appreciative of the new structure of the Grill menu and the fact that it now includes daily standards that are always available to students. The new Grill menu is sure to be a hit this year with both new and old SU students.