North Dakota State dining continues to serve students
NDSU Dinning continues to operate while taking the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of all students, staff and faculty as about 125 customers are still visiting the dining center each day. NDSU Dining has now reduced hours of operation and increased sanitation efforts, but will continue their services throughout the semester.
Of NDSU’s three dining centers, one will continue to operate for the rest of the semester. The Residence Dining Center (RDC) will remain open for students, staff or faculty who have a meal plan. West Dining Center and Union Dining Center will be closed for the remainder of the semester while the Minard and Barry Coffee Shops will be closed until next fall.
Dining services have closed the dine-in option and now offer to-go meals. Tara Ferkinhoff, the Assistant Director of Marketing, spoke about the new take-out only process.
“The take-out process works very smoothly, and our customers love it. Many have requested it stay for next fall,” Ferkinhoff said.
North Dakota State University Dining has implemented many changes to keep customers and team members safe. One of these changes includes scheduled breaks between meal periods to thoroughly clean and disinfect before, between and after meals.
“NDSU dining is diligently monitoring reports from the ND Department of Public Health for updates or changes in recommended guidelines. We have been, and will continue to be, proactive in our approach to keep our facilities clean, sanitized and disinfected.”
Tara Ferkinhoff, Assistant Director of Marketing
Self-service areas have been closed as the dining team members now serve customers with their requested menu items. Finger scanners have been removed and replaced with a contact-free proxy entrance using NDSU ID cards.
Tape on the floor at the entrance to the dining center marks safe social distancing while students wait in line to access the dining center.
Plastic water bottles are being provided to eliminate the need for reusable water bottles in the dining center. NDSU Dining has also implemented the use of EPA-approved chemicals that are effective against viruses.
All dining staff have been retrained and reminded frequently of all sanitation and food safety practices. The dining staff will continue monitoring their wellness and any symptoms that would require them to stay home from work, following HR recommendations.
“NDSU dining is diligently monitoring reports from the ND Department of Public Health for updates or changes in recommended guidelines. We have been, and will continue to be, proactive in our approach to keep our facilities clean, sanitized and disinfected,” Ferkinhoff said.
Other food locations located in Memorial Union will remain open with adjusted hours and operations. Caribou Coffee will continue to be open Monday-Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. but is only accepting card payments and not cash. The food court will always have one location open per week. Burgers @ the U, Hoagie Hut and Pizza Express will rotate weekly with the hours of Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Burgers @ the U will be open April 6 to April 10, Hoagie Hut will be open April 13 to April 17 and Pizza Express will be open April 20 to April 24.
The RDC will serve breakfast from 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m., lunch will be served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner will be served from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
All the information mentioned above can be found at www.ndsu.edu/dining/covid_19_response. This page is updated daily and contains the most up-to-date information regarding North Dakota State University dining services.
The following stations in RDC are available and serving take-out: Thundar’s Grill, Homestyle, Beverage Stations, Salad/Deli and Bison Beanery. The full-service coffee shop in RDC, Bison Beanery, serves all coffee and drinks in to-go cups.