From a new dining director to an updated mobile ordering app, Quinnipiac University has introduced new changes to student dining for the 2021 Spring semester.

The updates to dining services are on top of other changes the university has made for the Spring semester, most of them related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Quinnipiac has returned to a yellow alert level as of Jan. 31.

Former Dining Director Chuck Couture, who represented Chartwells as its Resident District Manager at the university, left the school during the Winter break. According to Carly Nappi, the senior marketing director at Chartwells for the Northeast region, Couture has been replaced by Toby Chenette as interim director. It is unclear who will be taking Chenette’s role as the permanent director or when Quinnipiac is going to announce the change.

Another change from over break is the introduction of a new mobile ordering app: Transact. The new app, found on both the Apple Store and the Google Play Store, replaces the previous app Quinnipiac used, Boost. According to Quinnipiac’s dining page, the new app includes more choices for online ordering in certain food stations, such as Mondo’s Subs, while on-campus options such as Starbucks have returned to the mobile ordering menu. 

In an email sent by Quinnipiac Dining, further changes to the dining scene were announced, including, “updated hours of operation, menu enhancements that include; new stations and exciting events!” 

The new hours of operation include the main campus Cafe Q opening as early as 7:15 a.m. and closing at 9:00 p.m. on weekdays, while York Hill dining services are open for 12 hours between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Blue Zone, a new station in Cafe Q, has also been added to the options, replacing Harvest. Blue Zone, according to Quinnipiac Dining, “was developed through a student independent study. It will highlight fruit-infused waters, trail mix and dried fruit. We will have indicators for healthy options throughout the servery.” 

Dining services have also been planning more events for students in the Spring semester, namely the return of food trucks and the introduction of ghost kitchens, which are delivery-only food options. These options are planned to accept meal plan currency. Dining also said they hope to “increase our offerings at dinnertime and late night in the area of the Café Q, York Hill and Bobcat Den.” On York Hill, Quinnipiac Dining said they plan to invite a guest chef who specializes in Japanese-inspired dishes twice a week.

New stations, programs and the promise of new events mark a change for Quinnipiac Dining since the Fall. However, with the departure of a longtime dining director, the transition to a new app and the challenges of the pandemic here to stay, for the time being, the Spring semester opens up a new front for Quinnipiac’s dining services to contend with.

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