UMaine Dining Services Improve Student Experience With New Additions: 10.15.2012

A kitchen is the heart of any home, and Black Bear Dining has been mining for ways to elevate the University of Maine’s to gold status.

Lunch hour at University Dining locations may not always have had the same allure, but innovations and improvements in their methods and products have qualified the Union Marketplace venue for a five-star rating.

The Bear’s Den, which only a few short years ago was beginning to disenchant its potential patrons, has been fully reinvented and wholeheartedly embraced by UMaine students and faculty as a setting for social and academic livelihood. From a lackluster pub-style joint that ultimately lacked a menu and would not accept out-of-state IDs, the Bear’s Den has evolved, responding to students’ suggestions as to cosmetic changes, new menu items and extended hours. Now, with the incorporation of the Starbucks, previously located in Union Central, the Bear’s Den is a well-deserving destination at virtually any time between 7 a.m. and at least 9 p.m. every weekday, with evening hours on Saturdays.

An increase in food being made in-house and the incorporation of local ingredients and menu options is another change to the Bear’s Den that has students feeling like we’re in a great place, but these trends are not unique to the pub and café, a setting where one might almost expect them. From soups and bakery items made on site to serving local cheeses, Dining Services has doubled down to demonstrate its commitment to supporting locally sourced goods. Nature’s Palate’s organic food options and an array of dietary considerations throughout the Marketplace ultimately levy a more healthy experience and leave no one wanting for flavor or variety.

It’s all well and good that the Union locations have expanded and enriched their menus, but does that really outweigh the cramped quarters and nightmarishly long lines in the Marketplace that inevitably occur between afternoon classes? As a matter of fact, Dining Services has taken steps to address this common deterrent, too. Three popular venues — the pizza, sandwich and grill stations — now offer the opportunity to place orders ahead of time, available through to-go service Tapingo and accessible through their website and app. This is bound to free up some elbow room in the Union around noon. For anyone who has ever experienced trying to buy a sandwich between a class that ends at 12:15 and one that starts at 12:30, it’s going to feel like flying first-class and will give students carbs to burn during the post-cafeteria cross-campus sprint.

As the days grow shorter, so will the wait for the coffee and wintertime comfort food we crave after classes. And as the snowy outdoors becomes a less appealing setting for spending free time, it’s really going to give students the warm fuzzies to know one of the campus services most integral to their physical health and well-being not only has their best interests at heart, but also works to stay current and to cater to students’ desires.