Enhanced menus, food offerings coming to Miley Café this spring

salvetoday Posted On January 13, 2023
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Students and other patrons who frequent the Miley Café will enjoy a variety of enhancements to menu offerings, food service and engagement when they return to campus for the spring 2023 semester.

“This is largely a student-driven and student-advised initiative,” said Mark Rodrigues, general manager of dining services. “Our message to the student population is: ‘You asked, we listened.’ Student feedback really shaped the latest upgrades to Miley Café and will continue to be critical as we seek to provide our entire campus community with an exceptional dining experience.”

Enhanced menus and food offerings

A highlight of the enhanced menu offerings is the smoothie station currently under construction near My Zone and expected to be operational by Feb. 1. The station will offer create-your-own and premade smoothie options during breakfast and lunch hours. During dinner service, the station will often be utilized to test new recipes or offer pop-up specialty items.

“The overarching premise of our menu upgrades is the ability to customize – to offer selections that can be individually curated for all preferences and palates,” Rodrigues said.

Here are example sketches of the renovations happening at Miley Café, specifically the smoothie bar. 

Enhancements to Miley Café for the spring 2023 semester include:

  • Entree station – upgrading the menu cycle to include more allergen-friendly options.
  • Rustic roots station – upgrading the menu cycle to offer a complete meal service.
  • Pasta station – adding new offerings such as toasted subs, open-faced sandwiches, Italian-style entrees and macaroni and cheese.
  • Mongolian grill – reintroducing a full cook-to-order platform featuring proteins, starches, fresh-cut vegetables and sauces.
  • Grill station – expanding the daily options to include a rotation of burgers (including turkey and veggie), fresh-cut fries, chicken patties, quesadillas and grilled cheese.
  • Pizza station – adding new offerings such as hand-stretched and signature pizzas and calzones, along with a “create your own flatbread” station.
  • Salad station – integrating an attendant station to assist students in creating custom salads.
  • My Zone – adding an induction burner so that students with access can prepare their own food.
  • Dessert station – expanding the daily options to include more “handhelds” during lunch and more hot desserts during dinner.

Feedback and engagement

Throughout the spring semester and beyond, students will have opportunities to submit continued feedback and even vote on menu offerings right in the dining hall. New kiosks will allow Miley Café patrons to complete mini-surveys and offer real-time, next-day opinions about menu choices.

Students will also have opportunities to participate in the “Recipes From Home” initiative.

“In an effort to make the dining hall seem more like home, we’ll be inviting students into the kitchen to share a family recipe with our chefs,” Rodrigues said. “This will also give our student population a chance to sample cuisines that they may not be familiar with or may not have tried before.”