Part of the freshman year experience in college is missing your mom’s home cooked meals because you are bound to a meal plan. Relying solely on dining halls and other university-affiliated dining spots is almost a right of passage. However, I, and the majority of the class of 2028 have found ourselves desperately trying to avoid the University of Pittsburgh’s main dining hall, the infamous Eatery. And although there is another dining hall, The Perch, that I have heard great reviews about, it’s on the upper part campus which just isn’t convenient. While the University isn’t (yet) ranked on any “Top Ten Worst College Dining Halls,” I fear we may be soon.Â
Beginning in the Fall of 2023, the University released a statement that the Eatery would be undergoing a phased construction plan that offered “Ten independent concepts and state-of-the-art integrations designed to offer Pitt students an exceptional dining experience.” Although I never experienced the old Eatery, I can say that my dining experience has been less than exceptional. The University has been under fire for their presentation of chicken, as many students have found their chicken to be incredibly pink and almost raw. Students have taken to Snapchat to share their experiences with this issue. When the first student posted about it, I thought okay, not a big deal happens all the time. Then, it happened again. And again. Naturally, the Facebook group “Pitt Parents” was ablaze with parents and students alike complaining about the food and demanding that Pitt fix the issue.Â
On September 4th, a statement was sent to all students regarding food safety that stated they are “currently performing an internal audit of their processes…to ensure all food safety measures are being followed accurately. In addition, [they] requested the Allegheny County Health Department visit to perform an independent evaluation.” The email goes on to discuss that the “chicken that has a slight pink hue can be attributed to reasons other than being undercooked” and that “the color of cooked chicken is not a sign of its safety.” However, as an avid fried chicken lover, I have never been served pink chicken except for my time here. The chicken is chewy, soft, bloody, and incredibly pink and I don’t think this is due to “the hemoglobin in tissues, which can form a heat-stable color” (which the University is arguing makes pink chicken safe to eat).Â
 At the end of the day, there are over 20,000 students that attend the University of Pittsburgh and each student is paying far too much money to be served uncooked chicken. I should not have to actively go out of my way to seek out food and spend my dining dollars just to avoid the Eatery. The dining hall is a place of convenience and a place that is meant to be quick and easy, and instead I have to hike up cardiac hill once or twice a day just to go to Chick-fil-a or The Perch. I shouldn’t have to look at every bite I take when I am eating; the food should just be cooked right. I hope that the University listens to the complaints from parents and students, does a complete inspection, and makes things right.Â
University of Pittsburgh, do better.Â
Sincerely, all of the students with a meal plan