Since opening its doors in 1970, the Horizons Cafeteria at the Moody Towers has provided students with a place to sit down throughout the day and enjoy a hot meal. Although the food is proudly served, many students aren’t proud to be eating it.
On a day-to-day basis, complaints can be heard throughout the dining hall about the quality and type of food available to students.
“It seems like there isn’t a variety in what is being offered,” business sophomore Ayesha Ahmad said. “At each meal I see the same thing…chicken and I’m getting tired of eating it.”
Due to the negative feedback received from Ahmad and other students in the past, Dining Services has made a vow to improve the cuisine and leave no complaint unheard.
Improvement attempts were set in motion in October 2009, when Executive Chef Tori Bergersen was hired to set a higher standard for the food being prepared and served.
Working with Dining Services, Bergersen created a unique menu to cater to the 700 to 900 people that eat at Horizons on a daily basis. Included in this menu is an international food option that uses authentic recipes, and has received a lot of positive feedback.
“Dr. Renu Khator has come in several times to eat the Indian food from the international section, and she has given me so many compliments,” Bergersen said. “In fact, she even asked me to teach her son how to cook Indian.”
Another noticeable change to the menu is a dish that students will not find anywhere else on campus, the heavily complained about rotisserie chicken.
Bergersen said that when it comes to the rotisserie chicken, he can’t seem to keep up with the amount of chicken students eat, causing him to usually run out of it by the end of the day.
“Even though there are complaints, it’s unbelievable how much chicken we go through, and this helps tell me that the students love that rotisserie chicken,” Bergersen said.
Bergersen also said there are 16 other stations students can choose to eat from.
In addition to the overhaul of the menu, Dining Services is working with Houston Avocado Co. to bring in fresh local produce six out of the seven days the cafeteria is open.
Students are already seeing improvements.
“The food has come a long way since last year, but there is still room for improvement,” mathematics and biology senior James Chang said.
Changes to Horizon cafeteria also include the remodeling of the facility, which will take place this summer.
The new cafeteria design includes a flat top Mongolian grill, a brick oven, and many new features that should leave students without complaints.
“Students will be able to build their own meals,” Bergersen said. “They might have to wait a little bit longer to get the food but they will be getting fresh food made to order, and a greater selection of food will be available to them.”
Why does this article use the term “dining services” as if the people who make the food work for UH. They don’t it’s Aramark who pay their employees as little as possible and serve junk food all over campus. This reporter wrote a story that sounds as if she is a PR agent for the multinational criminals at Aramark! Give me a break, do some real reporting and find out how crappy the workers are treated, what corporation Aramark uses as supplier and if they use any small minority owned businesses to supply the food.
WOW. Sounds like you have a chip on your shoulder! I’ve been a student at UH for 3 years and have actually enjoyed the offerings on campus. Have you been to other schools? Wake up!