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As a current student at the University of West Florida, I often eat at the restaurants available on campus. My freshman year, I had the displeasure of having a meal plan. Where I was forced to eat 12 meals a week at Nautilus Market, an all-you-can-eat option. Also, I had to spend $300 at another campus vendor. It was in demand and overpriced. I propose that the University of West Florida provide students with better on-campus dining options.
Currently, there are 11 places to grab a bite to eat while on campus. However, four of them are takeaway cafes only, so I wouldn’t consider them viable options. These cafes are good in their locations. They are located in specific buildings such as the business building and the library. These are good options if you’re in a hurry.
Where UWF Dining really needs help is in the commons. We have the Nautilus Market, an option that is primarily for freshmen and students with meal plans. They give many options, however, they are not good. The food literally made me sick multiple times. Also, the only healthy/vegan/vegetarian options are salad. Personally, I think the salad tastes like it has been sprayed with preservatives. Also, in the communes there is a Quiznos; it’s decent if you like Quiznos. The Chick-n-Grill shouldn’t even be considered a restaurant, because it’s tasteless. It’s a chipotle that wants to be and fails. Argo cuisine is good. They have beer and wine. Their food is basic bar food but overpriced.
I researched other schools’ dining options and what I found was disappointing. The University of Florida has chain options throughout the campus. They have Panda Express, Einstein Bagels and Moe’s Southwest Grill; FSU has even more! It could be argued that theses are significantly larger schools and are Division 1 in athletics. However, other D2 schools in Florida like Nova SouthEastern, Barry, Flagler, and the University of North Florida also all have better dining options than UWF. Nova has a Subway, an Au Bon Pain and an Eisenstein Bagels. UNF has a Jamba Juice, a very popular chicken fast food and a Pita Pit. Just introducing a Pita Pit could make a world of difference. The local Pita Pit is always busy at lunchtime and this may attract more students to stay and eat on campus.
The University of West Florida needs to step up the work when it comes to dining options. Food is a necessity and if students are not happy this could be a determining factor in which school they choose to go to.