New items will be joining dining menus across campus. Photos by Jada Gangazha.

MEGAN LINDSEY | STAFF REPORTER | mplindsey@butler.edu 

A new school year brings more hungry students. Bon Appétit, Butler’s partner in dining services, prepared for this by rolling out an extensive list of changes to dining locations on campus. 

Campus executive chef Chad Melinger helped with preparing these updates over the summer. 

“We make changes and upgrade the amenities of our program every chance we get,” Melinger said. “We received great feedback from students and guests last year which struck a chord with us.” 

ResCo 

At ResCo, the customizable burrito bar will be staying in place for lunch time again this year. New for this year is a custom sandwich and salad experience as a dinner option. This was implemented to mirror the burrito bar experience offered at lunch. 

There are also new chef-created options such as a meatball sub, with an impossible meat option.

Ashley Peters, a sophomore criminology and psychology major, ate frequently at ResCo for dinner last year. She was not impressed with the addition of a sandwich bar for dinner. 

“I feel like they could have more of a variation of food this year,” Peters said. “I don’t want to eat the same thing for dinner everyday.” 

Butler Brew 

Butler Brew, located in Dugan Hall, is debuting a new drink called the Butler Buzzz. It is an energy drink that contains Lotus Energy, a plant-based energy base. They will also be featuring a monthly rotating smoothie in addition to their other popular options.

“On the food front, we are offering open-faced grilled cheese sandwiches,” Melinger said in reference to the updated offerings at Butler Brew. “We have everyday items as well as a monthly special.” 

Melinger shared that the special right now is a Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese. It will only be available through the end of the month.

Plum Market 

Plum Market began offering bubble tea during the centennial celebration of Sigma Gamma Rho this summer. After much positive feedback, the bubble tea will remain on the menu. They will also begin using their pour-over coffee machine after suspending its use during COVID-19.

Currently, some of the fridges in Plum Market are out of order. There are still grab-and-go options available near the salad bar.

“The cooler design has made it difficult to keep the compressors functioning properly,” Melinger said. “Currently we are waiting on two new compressors to bring the coolers back to operating order.”

Atherton Dining Hall 

Melinger said at Atherton, there are more options at the deli bar, breakfast bar and avoiding gluten station for students grabbing food between meal times. 

“Additionally, our dietitian on staff is available to work one-on-one with students managing allergies or other dietary restrictions to find a plan that works for them,” Melinger said.

SGA sponsored a refresh of Atherton which focused on the building’s Starbucks location, which included updated furniture and fixtures. 

Pop-ups 

Last semester, Bon Apétit brought back their pop-ups, short events where Bon Appétit gives away free food or beverage options at different locations on campus. These events, which usually last about two hours, will continue this year. They plan to staff about three of these a week. 

To learn more about the time and places of these pop-ups, and also to keep updated with all things dining related, follow @bonappetitbutler on Instagram. 

Sustainability

In addition to menu items, there have been some other changes put in place. One of the most prominent is the removal of composting service in Atherton.

Katy Maher is the dietitian on-campus and has helped initiate some of the changes that took place over the summer. 

“Our current compost removal company does not service over the summer, and is now working to get staffing for the school year,” Maher said. “We will hopefully know by early September if the service can resume. Alternatively, we are looking into other compost service companies to work with. We hope to get this up and running soon so we can continue to support sustainability on campus.”

In terms of sustainability, Maher also encourages students to continue to take advantage of the BLUEgo program, which provides reusable boxes for taking meals out.