New programs arrive to Shark Dining

Shark Dining will launch new initiatives and projects at NSU this fall.

Ike Reichenbach, director of marketing for Shark Dining, said one of them is dedicated to the incoming students in the UNIV 1000 – First-Year Experience course. Students taking the class will participate in the new program, First Year Eats.

“It really just shows an in-depth look at Shark Dining, so students can experience all of our locations, different ways of placing orders, different menu items [and] how to vote at Student Choice,” Reichenbach said. “All of these options are led through the bingo card.”

The bingo card has information about different experiences at Shark Dining. Once they complete the tasks on the card, they earn credit.

“It involves a bingo card that [students] can compete for both Grubhub credit and class credit,” Reichenbach said. “The Grubhub credit could be used to place mobile orders, so it can be used at any of the Shark Dining locations on campus.”

Reichenbach also said to get new and returning students engaged, events like Joyful and Teaching Kitchen will return, so Shark Dining can continue giving back to the NSU community.

Joyful, the farmers market, will be open bimonthly in front of the Alvin Sherman Library, Research, and Information Technology Center, Reichenbach said.

“These are great ways to connect with local vendors, get fresh produce, handmade goods, but then [is] also a great way to connect with Shark Dining because we always have an activation there,” Reichenbach said.

The Teaching Kitchen will be hosted once a semester where student can interact with the campus executive chef.

“It’s an in-person class where students work with the chef to create a dish,” Reichenbach said.

Also, every October, Reichenbach said Shark Dining conducts a campus-wide survey to see what can be implemented for on-campus food choices.

Other dining options in the Razor’s Reef, a dining hall in the Don Taft University Center, include Sushi Maki, Ciao Bella, Student Choice, Qdoba, Sambazon and College Ave. Subs.

More campus dining options include Chick-fil-A, Starbucks and the Market in the University Center, the Monty’s Café/Einstein Bros. Bagels in the Carl DeSantis Building, the kiosk in the Parker Building, and the Supreme Court Cafe in the Shepard Broad College of Law.

Maria Fernanda Carriel Sarmiento, third-year psychology graduate student in the Clinical Psychology master’s program, said having various options spread out on campus is beneficial because it gives students easier access to food.

Aside from getting food at the in-person dining options, students can remotely order.

Mike Alkurdi, resident district manager for Chartwells and Shark Dining, said students can remotely buy food through the Grubhub app to either pick it up or use the Starship Technologies Inc. delivery system robots.

“Grubhub is the main app that the students need to use. We centralized the services to avoid having multiple apps on students’ phones and to avoid confusion,” Alkurdi said.

Benjamin Girgis, sophomore biology major, said ordering through the Starship Technologies Inc. robots can save time for him and other students because they deliver food.

“They can be convenient if you want to be in your room or studying, since you don’t go and order [at one of the dining options],” Girgis said.

Reichenbach said there will be more Starship Technologies Inc. robots come fall.

Shark Dining plans to replace the West End Ave. Deli in the Alvin Sherman Library, Research, and Information Technology Center with a Vicky Bakery store in the future.

Ayanna Stephens, director of Design and Construction, said there are expansions to the first floor of the Terry Administration Building where Shark Dining’s original dining cafeteria will be doubling in size.

Reichenbach said he liked how Shark Dining has been bringing joy to the NSU community through food service.

“It’s really about making it convenient and accessible for students and so that’s right in line with what Shark Dining wants to do,” Reichenbach said.