It’s no secret that Bentley is not known for its food and dining services. However, COVID-19 restrictions have created changes to the Bentley Dining experience. As a result, there have been some welcome additions during the pandemic, as well as a number of issues for Bentley students on the meal plan.
Increased Waste:
Although the need for pickup/takeout/to-go options is clearly essential, my roommate and I have noticed the extreme quantities of takeout boxes, utensils, bags, and other food packaging that we have accumulated. While we try to recycle the plastic whenever we can, it is definitely concerning that so much single-use plastic is being used through Bentley Dining on a daily basis. Several solutions to this could be switching to using entirely biodegradable takeout containers, making utensils an option rather than an automatic inclusion with your to-go meal, and educating students on what can and cannot be recycled here at Bentley.
Grubhub:
The addition of Grubhub has definitely reduced the number of lines Bentley students have to wait in at various dining locations. However, it is not without flaws. The estimated time your order will be ready is rarely accurate, with students having to wait 30+ minutes for an order that was originally said to be ready in ten minutes. That being said, waiting in your room definitely beats waiting in a long line in Currito or Einstein’s!
Increased Meal Swipe Options:
With the addition of Grubhub has come the addition of more meal swipe options at various dining locations on campus. Currito, LaCava, and Harry’s now offer regular items to be purchased using a meal swipe. It is a fantastic change to be able to purchase a burrito or bowl, chips and salsa, and a drink for a meal swipe at Currito!
The Disappearance of the Nest:
There has been no explanation given, but it appears the Nest will not be available for dining during COVID. It is the only dining location (besides Dunkin’ which requires students to have their brand-specific app to order in advance) that is not listed on Grubhub. This has also resulted in no meal plan dining locations open prior to 9:00am on the weekends (Dunkin opens at 8:00am on the weekends but food/drink cannot be purchased with discresh or a meal swipe). It is unclear whether this is due to COVID restrictions on the number of employees allowed to be in the combined Currito/Nest space, a limit on the number of dining locations that Bentley was allowed to add to the Grubhub app, or some other reason, but the Nest’s disappearance has not gone unnoticed.