Food service will definitely look different this fall, but Saint Mary’s has been working with Chartwells staff to prepare, and we are ready to serve.
Students will notice immediately that the stairwell going to the main dining room will be marked off to indicate sides for up and down. Decals will be placed on the floor, starting at the check-in table and throughout the student dining room, indicating flow and where to stand for social distancing while waiting in the line. Masks are required for all individuals until they sit at their table and start to eat. A queue has been created to assist with directing the flow of traffic.
In the main Toner dining hall we will be able to seat a little over 100 students within the student dining room to allow social distancing. Other rooms within the Toner Student Center, including the game room, President’s Room, Toner Center lounge, and Hall of Fame Room, are being turned into additional seating areas where students can take their meals to eat. Students will also be encouraged to eat outdoors when the weather is nice and to take their meals back to their residence halls when appropriate.
All meals will be provided to students in disposable containers including glasses for a beverage. If a student would like seconds, they are able to do so but will be given a new disposable container and will have to get back in line. To be as contactless as possible, all food will be served by food service staff; some items will be prepackaged, such as ice cream; no cash will be accepted, only credit cards and Saint Mary’s IDs (individuals can still have cash uploaded to their Saint Mary’s ID); and a new scanning system is being put in place so students can “touch and go” and not have to give their ID to a staff member.
Chartwells has a detailed plan we are implementing because of COVID-19. View an excerpt from Saint Mary’s Path to Open Campus Planning Guide for Fall 2020 for a glimpse of what they are putting into action.