Students Get a Taste of New Dining Options

Montclair State University students were introduced on Monday, April 24 to innovative, entertaining – and yummy – changes that are coming soon to campus food and dining services. Students enthusiastically sampled sushi, Cuban food and prime rib with mashed potatoes and much more during a 2.5-hour, food-tasting launch party at the Student Center patio.

In addition to tasty meals, the event featured make-your-own trail mix and juice stations, lots of free swag, games and a photo booth, and allowed executives of the University’s new dining partner, Gourmet Dining, LLC, to share their vision for future campus dining experiences. They presented conceptual drawings for reimagined indoor dining spaces, new and inviting outdoor dining areas – and even a Panera Express and Dunkin’ Donuts Express, for students living along Clove Road.

Both the cuisine and future dining plans received resounding approval from students, faculty and staff at the festivities. Big hits included bagels from Hot Bagels Abroad in Bloomfield and mini bagels and cookies from Ladyfingers Bakery & Bar, which went quickly, leaving only tubs of cream cheese behind. The snaking lines for sushi from Mei Hibachi in Hackensack and for Cuban pork, plantains and beans from La Cocina in Newark remained long and constant from 10:30 a.m. until after the party’s scheduled 1 p.m. end. Halal food provided by Juicy! Halal with Heart, was also popular.

“This is not ordinary supermarket food, this is Whole Foods kind of stuff,” Pranav Gopalakrishnan shared with his friends.

Gopalakrishnan, a second-year MBA student, says he currently doesn’t have a meal plan. “But if this is the food they’ll be feeding us everyday, I’ll definitely get one.”

Gourmet already claims a large share of the collegiate food market in the Garden State – including Rutgers-Newark, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Seton Hall and Kean University – and will officially take over food services at Montclair this summer.

President Jonathan Koppell stopped by the event and proclaimed the food delicious. He said he especially enjoyed the tuna tartar tostadas and the beet salad. “I like beets. I’m happy to see beets.”

Like Koppell, students also wanted to see healthy options and a greater variety of foods, from vegan and vegetarian offerings to Halal (foods permitted under Islamic rules) options, according to focus group data and surveys shared with dining vendors during the request for proposals process.

Danilda Soto, a University parking services coordinator who attended the event, was a fan of the variety. “It’s very cultural, very diverse and it’s flavorful.”

From the vibrant displays of fresh vegetables and the vegan and vegetarian fare offered at the tasting – Gourmet is ready to deliver on that appeal.

The quinoa, kale, sweet potato and black bean salad topped with chili sauce served won over Maddison Chin, a junior Communication and Media Studies major. “I don’t eat beans, but this is good.”

Gourmet Dining CEO Michael Frungillo says: “Every time I’ve been on campus and met with students, affordability and Halal options are the top two items that they have addressed with us. So, those are things we’re going to address right away.”

George Kuzma, Gourmet’s vice president of Business Development, says dining will be made affordable by focusing on “benefiting those students who participate in the different meal plans with a lot of discounted meals so that a little bit of money goes a long way.”

Also on the list of students’ requests: convenience, food delivery service and late-night or overnight dining.

Displays with QR codes took students to Gourmet’s Montclair-specific website, Eats by GDS, where students could vote on retail food venues they’d like to see on campus, choosing from a list of national chains, such as Starbucks, Smashburger and IHOP, and local eateries such as Java Love Coffee, Jackie’s Grillette and Nami Nori. Participants also were asked to vote for one of three logos for Montclair’s new dining services, Eats by Gourmet Dining. Votes made students eligible for a chance to win one of 20 prizes of $300 flex dollar dining plans. The results will be announced later this summer.

“They’ll have a big voice in the total branding and what comes to campus,” says Michael Frungillo.

In addition to the conceptual drawings for dining spaces, Eats by GDS outlines various meal plan options, including spring and winter break options for Montclair students, faculty and staff.

Among the biggest changes: Students will be able to use their meal plans at all campus eateries, including at several new local and national brands, “so that’s a huge win,” says Montclair’s Associate Vice President for Auxiliary Services and Strategic Initiatives Melissa Ginotti, who spearheaded the monthslong request for proposals process.

“Until now, the meal plans for first-year residential students have been largely restricted to the two all-you-care-to-eat dining halls, Freeman Dining Hall and Sam’s Place,” she says.

Another big change ahead for commuter students: For the first time, commuter students will also have expanded meal plans that can be used at all campus dining venues through a new Commuter Dining Deposit program.

Full-time commuter students will be billed $250 per semester as a deposit on their ID as a dining card. In addition, the University will provide an extra $50 each semester for the 2023-24 academic year as an incentive for students to use these funds to experience all components of the new dining services, including both on- and off-campus food vendors. Any unused funds that remain on a student’s card by the end of the 2023-24 academic year (not including the $50 University incentive each semester) will be refunded to students. Funds can also be donated to assist fellow students experiencing food insecurity.

“While many institutions see dining as a revenue generator, President Koppel made the decision to view dining as a conduit for community belonging and engagement,” says Vice President for Student Development and Campus Life Dawn Meza Soufleris. The new Commuter Dining Deposit program will help Montclair and Gourmet have upfront funding for “capital investments necessary to enhance our dining program.”

University Student Trustee Maria Cavero Muñoz, who was on hand to welcome the new food vendor, says she believes commuter students will take advantage of the new meal plans. “I think they will eat on campus more,” she says, adding, “One of the things we heard from students is that they have to go eat off-campus and then return and find parking all over again. This way they can be on our beautiful campus more, enjoy a meal with their friends, get a minute to relax and go about their day.”

Given the quality and variety of new food options, Cavero Muñoz says, “I think it’s going to be very rare that students don’t use it and if they don’t, they get their money back at the end of the year, so it’s a win-win.”

Ginotti, who spearheaded the search for the new vendor, says: “We think that this is going to be an absolutely transformative student experience and will contribute to the sense of family and belonging that we want to cultivate for them. We’re really excited about the new approaches and environments for socializing and breaking bread together that our partner will be bringing to our students, faculty and staff.”

In addition, Michael Frungillo says the new dining services will also provide paid jobs and internship opportunities for students. “If someone does graphic design, we need that,” he says. “We’ll be hiring marketing interns, dietary interns and a wide array of food service positions.”

Students’ wishes for convenience, delivery services and late-night dining options have also been heard and will be met. The Red Hawk Diner will be open more days and longer hours.

Students who live on Clove Road will soon find a variety of food options, including food delivery “using their meal plan and flex dollars with delivery charges waived,” Ginotti says. “Students can also purchase or use their meal plans to get prepackaged, prepare-at-home meal kits.”

Among some of the conceptual drawings shared with the campus community by Gourmet Executive Vice President Anthony Frungillo were a small Panera Express drive-thru and a Dunkin’ Donuts Express station. Until those are constructed, food trucks will likely serve students in the Clove Road area, he says.

An eight-member Dining Services RFP Evaluation Committee, made up of campus community members, including Residence Life, Student Involvement, a Nutrition and Food Studies faculty member and a Student Government Association representative, worked for months to select Montclair’s dining services partner.

As a committee member, junior Terry Dickerson, student director of Student Affairs with the Student Government Association, made site visits to the Rutgers-Newark and Rowan University campuses to gauge student satisfaction with Gourmet’s food and services and says she’s delighted about all of the changes ahead.

“I’m most excited for the revival of our dining on Montclair State’s campus because I think we have been lacking in the dining aspect for a bit,” says Dickerson, a Journalism and Digital Media major. “Now we’re bringing something new, exciting and engaging – it’s not just food, it’s an experience that I think will completely change our campus culture.”

Soufleris agrees. “Food is life. It’s one way we connect with each other. We gather with friends and family and make memories around meals,” she says. “We feel this partnership with Gourmet Dining is going to be a game-changer for us in engaging our students.”

With deep roots in New Jersey and counting some Montclair alumni among its employees, Gourmet’s leadership is thrilled to add the University to its long list of campus dining services. The company, which employs more than 2,000 people and has $145 million in annual sales, has served Seton Hall University since 1988, when it was founded by Alfred Frungillo, owner of a food catering business since 1972. Owned by parent company Compass Group, the largest food service provider in the world, Gourmet is family operated by Michael and Anthony Frungillo; their father serves in an advisory role.

“Our offices are in Verona, which is basically 10 minutes away, so constantly driving through campus and seeing the expansions and how the University has grown and the excitement around that, is something that we’ve always wanted to be a part of,” says Anthony.

“We’ve wanted to be a part of it for years,” adds Michael.

One of Gourmet’s signature features is teaming up with local eateries. “Montclair [Township] is one of the food capitals of New Jersey, if not the tristate area,” says Michael Frungillo. “So the biggest thing we want to do is capitalize on a lot of those local artists and unlock a lot of those local vendors to help give the food program the same feel that Montclair has.”

The campus community can expect to have such local favorites as Java Love Coffee and Calandra’s Bakery, which will provide all of the bread on campus, baking it on-premises at Sam’s Place, including fresh dough-from-scratch pizza for Sam’s pizza program, he says.

Lauren Dinour, associate professor of Nutrition and Food Studies, also was a member of the selection committee and says she was pleased with Gourmet Dining’s “nutrition-friendly features,” including “an allergen-free restaurant, teaching kitchen, authentic cuisines, and options that meet dietary needs, such as Halal.”

Gourmet will install a “virtual” or “ghost kitchen” at Blanton Hall’s Food Court. It will feature popups and rotating restaurants, such as La Cocina. Students will be able to order via a mobile app and then pick up their food – prepared fresh behind the scenes – from a bay of lockers. Students will receive a barcode and locker combination once their food is ready for pickup.

At Freeman, Gourmet will install a teaching kitchen equipped with several cooking stations and stocked with seasonings and fresh ingredients, where students can prepare their own meals whenever they want. In addition, a rotation of chefs, cooks and nutrition experts will help students learn some cooking basics – how to make an omelet, stir fry or pasta dish, as well as how to prepare various cuisines.

Dinour praised Gourmet’s commitment to nutrition. “They will hire a campus dietitian who will work with the chefs and the campus community to offer nutrition education and events, as well as provide experiential learning opportunities for students who are studying to become registered dietitians,” she says.

She was also pleased with Gourmet’s expressed commitment to food security, particularly given that 57% of commuter students recently surveyed reported experiencing food insecurity in the month prior. “We look forward to partnering with them on our current campus-based food security efforts, such as the Food Recovery Network, Swipe Out Hunger, and Red Hawk Pantry, as well as identify additional areas to expand our impact.”

While students will see changes as soon as this summer, next fall “students are going to come on campus and see a different dining experience,” Dickerson says. “I’m excited about it. I hope they’re just as excited about it because they will see the action they’ve been advocating for for so long and be happy that they had a voice in it.”

Dickerson says she appreciates Gourmet’s familial aspect and their engagement and support of local businesses, which is in keeping with the University’s “tight-knit community.”

“Seeing how ready they are to work and change our campus in the dining area, it makes me excited, being a part of the change,” she says. “We are all working together to make this change for our community. I really feel confident because everybody has a piece of the pie in this situation. No pun intended.”

Among the many new offerings students, faculty and staff can expect to see in the future:

• An entirely student-led and student-run cafe
• Breakfast menu options for commuter and residential students at the Student Center
• Food diversity in menus – not just cultural food options but dietary needs, such as gluten-free foods
•  A pub/pizzeria with a Topgolf virtual swing suite and gaming in the Student Center
• Amazon Go markets – frictionless markets where students can help themselves to items and be automatically checked out with their meal plan cards
• Catering options from many of the dining venues
• Student learning and leadership opportunities through internships and jobs

Story by Staff Writer Sylvia A. Martinez. Photos by University Photographer Mike Peters.