Improved dining hall services curb meal coupon use

Friday, November 13, 1998

Improved dining hall services curb meal coupon use

Extended hours, food variety adds to rise in dinner
attendance

By Neal Narahara

Daily Bruin Contributor

Despite higher numbers of dorm residents than in previous years,
the Associated Students of UCLA (ASUCLA) has seen less students
using their meal credits to eat on campus.

In October, the number of meal remuneration coupons at ASUCLA
campus restaurants used is down from last year, mainly because of
the improved service by Dining Services in the dorms, according to
the association.

Coupon usage has gone down by 8 percent for lunch and 14 percent
for dinner from last year.

"The dorms are doing a really good job (with meal service),"
said Robert Williams, ASUCLA assistant food services director.

This year,dorm dinner attendence has held steady with more than
90 percent of all students with meal plans eating at dining
halls.

"Normally (this late into the quarter) there is a drop-off to 73
or 74 percent, but not this year," said Mary Niven, associate
director of Housing Dining Services.

Among the major factors contributing to the decline of meal
coupon use are expanded dinner hours, allowing residents access to
meals from 7 in the morning until midnight.

"Housing (Dining Services) has become more customer-service
oriented," Niven said.

"There is value in coming back (to the dining halls) because
there are meal options available throughout the day," she said.

Dining Services is also offering more variety in its service,
such a coffee bar and deli-style foods at Bradley International
Cafe.

"It looks like one of the retail operations down on campus,"
Niven said.

The meal coupons have created a friendly rivalry between ASUCLA
campus restaurants and Dining Services.

"It’s incumbent on (ASUCLA and Dining Services) to do the
absolute best we can to make the students want to eat with us,"
said Dave Nirenberg, associate food services director for
ASUCLA.

Although overall customer counts for ASUCLA do not seem to have
been affected by the decline in meal coupon usage, it is a matter
of concern according to ASUCLA officials.

"We’re concerned any time any aspect of our customer count goes
down," Nirenberg said. "We’re losing those sales."

The dorm meal coupons have been a steadily declining source of
income for the students’ association in recent years but are still
considered to be an important part of their profits.

"We don’t want to get rid of it," Williams said. "We think it’s
a great program."

"It’s a way to introduce students to our meal options on
campus," he said.

Dorm meal coupons are credits that on-campus residents can
obtain to use their dorm meal plans to eat in ASUCLA facilities.
Many residents who don’t want to return to the halls during the
school day will use the coupons to help pay for lunch.

The meal coupons, worth $1.85 for lunch and $1.90 for dinner,
are paid for by dining services and a 30-cent subsidy from
ASUCLA.

The meal coupon program was created to give students more
flexibility when there were only 19-meal plans available.

"Meal coupons have been around since I was a resident in the
residence halls in 1972," Niven said. "It’s probably been 30 years
(since the program started)."

Since its inception, the program has operated continuously, with
one exception. For several weeks in the fall of 1996, Housing tried
to terminate the meal coupon program due to their offering of
smaller meal plans. In response to student concerns, the coupons
were reinstated.

Despite the recent decline in use, Dining Services has shown no
interest in trying to eliminate the program again.

"Students should be able to choose where they have their meals,"
Niven said. "I’m happy with the results ­ we have a program
that students find value in."BAHMAN FARAHDEL/Daily Bruin

Sarah Sakimoto, a first-year student, cashes in her meal
coupon.

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