Our beloved UK is undergoing a transformation, but I'm not talking about a subtle face lift -- I'm talking about head-to-toe plastic surgery. As a direct result, the student experience undergoes a transformation, as well. As with any sort of plastic surgery, there will always be negative side effects. A few of those side effects, unfortunately, involve UK's dining system. As a frequent visitor of UK's dining establishments, and a young man with a high metabolism and a heart for food, I've complied just a few new ways UK's transformation has failed the student dining experience.
1. You only need one side.
Though students are incredibly grateful that meal plans didn't go up in price (like our tuition), we aren't too happy that we now get less bang for our Wildcat Deals. Last year, I was a regular customer at Intermezzo and Fusion, because the reality of getting two sides with my entree was not only astounding and totally against the grain, but also the subject matter of a dream. However, that dream was crushed this year, since all Wildcat Deals now only come with one side.
2. Big Blue goes green.
I appreciate UK's dedication to sustainability and to the environment, however, many students find it absurd that the reusable take-out trays at Fresh Food Company and Blazer Cafe must be purchased for $5. Though I did purchase one and have used it quite a bit since then, I understand other students' outrage behind paying a seemingly pointless $5 for the new green initiative.
3. Willy T Starbucks is a waste of space.
Last year, news of an improved Starbucks in Willy T burned through campus like a wildfire. However, the end results aren't all that impressive. Considering the Starbucks tripled in size, one would think there would at least be more registers, more employees, and a larger kitchen to meet the high demand for coffee that naturally comes with spending long hours in the library. Instead, we only got one extra register (which hasn't been staffed a single time I was there) and about 20 unnecessary tables. The trade-off of Ovid's for the Largest Starbucks on a College Campus wasn't a very smart one.
4. Kentucky Proud?
For a university that touts their support for Kentucky Proud products, it seems like an increasing amount of the food we are served comes from Aramark.
5. Go home Taco Bell, you're drunk.
Taco Bell is the late night, fast food haven for a lot of college students, but the newest addition to UK Dining isn't very fast at all. Taco Bell is literally the only restaurant on campus open at 1 a.m. on a Saturday night and there is a line out the door, yet they only have two employees working? What is this logic?
6. What have you done to Ovid's?
Arguably the most beloved eatery on campus -- Ovid's -- received a new location and a new makeover for 2015, and it's not too pretty (thanks, Starbucks). The new location is about a quarter of the size of the old one, meaning there's no more daily special (stir-Fridays will be missed), no more salad bar, and no more sandwich bar, severely limiting the dining options. They also changed the hours to 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and are now completely closed on the weekends -- meaning no more breakfast (I literally shed a tear and questioned what Darrell is now doing with his life) and no more late night double cheeseburgers after leaving the library at an ungodly hour. The worst crime, though, has to be how they've changed the way the remaining menu items are made. Please tell me how a slab of breaded chicken with a dollop of chipotle sauce on two pieces of white bread (see photo) equates to a chipotle chicken wrap? UK Dining, what's good?
Though it's clear that the dining portion of UK's transformation was a little botched, it'll either be fixed in due time or we'll all eventually get used to how awful it is.
