FAQ

We have collected the most frequently asked questions about Student Dining Room and have published them for your information. If you have a question that didn't get covered here please make sure to go to Dining Services Comments/Suggestions web page to ask it.

Q: Why did you remove the ice cream bars from the Dining Room? Please bring them back.

A: We've received several comment recently regarding the changes to our dessert area at the Union Dining Hall. The changes that have been made are in large part due to a desire to expand our dessert offerings. We now offer two or three different desserts in addition to the frozen soft serve yogurt! Also, in response to student erquests we have increased the yogurt toppings offered. To offset this addition, we thought prudent to remove the less popular and more seasonal ice cream bars.

If you are missing the convenience of taking a dessert to go, we want to remind you that you can use guest passes for carry out items.

We regret that we cannot always meet everyone's needs, but we encourage you to give us feedback on our comment cards. We strive to offer exceptional food and service to our customers. We hope that increased variety in desserts will meet our customers' needs. 

Q: Why fruit in the Dining Room have stickers on them? Are they washed?

A: All the fruit in the Dining Room is thoroughly washed before serving. We buy fruit from both Sysco and Reinhart food distributors, furthermore, neither vendor use any chemicals for preserving the product.

Q: Are brown napkins cheaper and safer for the environment?

A:  Brown napkins are not any cheaper than white.  There are differences in the manufacturing between the two, however, environmentally there is no difference as a post consumable product.

Q: Why can't we buy organic locally grown fruit and vegetables?

A:  There are several reasons we currently do not specifically purchase locally grown produce.  Foremost, we have not found a vendor that is inspected or insured who can guarantee safe products.  Another reason is availability during the times we need the products; based on the region of the country we are in.  Finally, we need vendors that can supply the quantity of produce we need.  We continue to look at ways to support local business, our milk , for example, comes from local area farms and is packaged by the local vendor, Morning Glory.  Morning Glory also produces our sour cream.

Q: Why do we use spray butter?

A: We do not use spray butter. Only Concentrated Pan Coating made with Canola oil is used in the kitchen. It contains 0 calories and 0g of  trans fat.  This product is used to help keep foods from sticking to the pans.

Q: Is soy milk vegan, organic or neither?

A: Soy milk we serve is an all natural organic vegan product.

Q: Why do we change nutrition label information?

A: It is necessary to  change nutrition information at time based on changes to recipe ingredients and manufactured product formulations.

Q: Why can't we stay open until 1:30pm for lunch ?

A: Though our official lunch time ends at 1:15p, we continue to operate continuously throughout the day.  At 1:30pm, with few exceptions, lunch entrees are still available.  Furthermore,  we need to begin to prepare for dinner service while accommodating a staff change.

Q: Is everything on the serving line unhealthy, fried,  full of fat and loaded with salt? Do we have to much fried unhealthy food in the cafe?

A:  We do serve many food in the Dining Room which are fried and some foods do contain more fat per serving than recommended by the American Dietetic Association, however,  many of the foods we serve fall within the guidelines of a healthful diet.  Our attempt is to serve a variety of choices for the 1200 students on the meal plan.  We are always reviewing our menus and recipes to reduce the amount of fats in the foods we offer, while trying to meet the needs of all our customers.

Q: Can we have regular full fat mayonnaise on the condiment bar?

A: St. Norbert Dining Services is health conscious operation. We promote healthy low fat eating and try to have as many reduced/low fat items as possible. Although we realize there are some students who prefer full fat items, by providing reduced fat products we satisfy the majority of our customers.

Q: Do I have other options if I don't like food on line?

A: If there is nothing that attracts you on the main menu, you can always have an entree from Healthy Bar, Vegetarian Bar, Pasta Bar or create something from our salad or sandwich bar.

Q: What healthy options do I have in the Dining Room every day?

A: There is a general misconception that everything  on the serving line is unhealthy. Many of our entrees have less than 5g of fat per serving and many are between 7g and 8g.   For days when the main entrees don't meet your needs we offer a  "Healthy Bar" daily in the dining room. All meats and fish on the Healthy Bar are baked, the vegetables are steamed with no added fat.  We also offer a Pasta Bar and Vegetarian Bar as additional healthful options.

Q: Can we have other than sea food entree on line on Fridays for both lunch and dinner?

A: Because we are a Catholic institution and in support of the college's mission, Dining Services does not serve meat on Ash Wednesday or Fridays during Lent.  Though we frequently serve fish during this time, we always make sure that we have an alternative menu item.

Q:  Why there are good and bad days to eat in the cafe? Can we have common, popular food items on the menu each day?

A:  We often hear, "why is everything good on the same day?"  Fortunately, we hear this often.  However, we do realize that some entrees are more popular than others and we do make every attempt to make every day a good day and will continue to do so.  Again, your comments and suggestions are very helpful in helping us meet our goal.

Q: What options, besides sandwich and salad, do I have if I don't like what's served on line?

A: We offer a Healthy Bar, Pasta Bar, Soup, Cereals, Bread and Bagels. Also, the meal plan is designed to offer flexibility with meal dollar which can be used at Phil's.

Q: Can we serve Chef Dan's Chili once every week?

A:  Currently Chef's Dan Chili is offered once a week.  Please visit our web page and search menu items to view when the menu item is scheduled for service.

Q: Do we serve Soy Sauce with rice dishes?

A: Yes, there is Soy Sauce provided  every day on the "spice Island" right by the condiment bar. Sometime customers take the condiments to their table.  Please don't hesitate to ask one of the dining room employees to get you another bottle.

Q: Can we implement more variety in Healthy and Vegetarian Bars?

A:  Yes!  This summer we are specifically reviewing the Healthy Bar and Vegetarian Bar selection.  Please let us known what you think.  Better yet, please contact us with your suggestion.

Q: Can we have both  broth based and cream based soups available everyday day?

A:  We are currently reviewing our ability to produce both types of soups.