By Raeanne Raccagno
Staff Writer
‘Twas was a typical morning at the College. Students were burrowed in their beds, as visions of Eickhoff Hall’s waffles danced in their heads. Little did they know, as they dreamed, the Dining Services staff was having their ritual morning huddle to set the tone for the day. The crew commits themselves daily to providing a safe environment and excellence to hungry young scholars.
As the season of college tours kicks up, potential first-years have to consider many elements while picking their home for the next four years: campus size, location, student life, majors offered and dining options. Information about Dining Services and what it has to offer has been pushed through feeds by the hard work of student interns on social media and campus.
“Something I love about the team I work with is truly the leadership,” said Gianna Barone, a senior psychology major and one of the Sodexo marketing interns. “Our marketing manager Evonne allows us to all be creative in a way where I feel like my work is truly my own but also TCNJ Dining's work.”
Adding to the merry crew of dining staff at the College are the eight student interns who help strengthen their digital marketing efforts. The Dining Services marketing team works behind the scenes taking care of tasks like creating the events calendar.
Last academic year, Dining Services had three interns, but this year it expanded its program to eight students, with two more joining the team shortly.
Dining Services operates under Sodexo Group, the food services and facilities management company that manages the dining facilities at the College.
“These internships help students gain real-world experience alongside their education, helping them obtain great jobs once they graduate,” said Evonne Ryan-Grandell, dining services field marketing specialist. “We are proud to have recently hired one of our former TCNJ marketing interns as a full-time member of our marketing team.”
Students interested in working with Dining Services can either apply as a student worker or a student intern who works in the marketing department. Barone and seven other marketing interns’ main duties are creating graphics for fliers and Instagram posts, creating Instagram Reels and TikToks of special dining events, promoting dining surveys, taking pictures of events and food for the Dining Services webpage, working together on Win-it-Wednesdays, hosting a monthly Game Night in Traditions and helping decorate Eick for any big events.
“We believe that collaboration is essential to creating a vibrant campus community,” Ryan-Grandell said, “and we actively seek to engage with different groups to understand their needs and preferences.”
Barone was president of the Chinese Student Association last year, which hosted a Lunar New Year-themed lunch with Dining Services. She explained how Ryan-Grandell, the head chefs in Eick and Jordan Shyi, director of Intercultural Affairs, made sure that the food served was significant to Asian cultures to make the event special.
“I love that they care about the little details like that,” Barone said. “As a student of a cultural organization, it made me really proud to see our dining hall staff work hard to prepare the food and menu for holidays that are underrepresented, and I love being a part of a team that helps deliver these events to our student body.”
Promoting dining surveys is an essential part of Dining Services, because changes brought to dining are driven by constant student feedback, which is addressed daily, but especially in the summer leading up to the school year.
“Student satisfaction is always our top priority, as we understand the significant role it plays in student well-being and overall campus experience,” said Ryan-Grandell.
Dining Services has been working hard to elaborate menus and events offered to students to expand dining diversity.
“We use these insights to develop new concepts, while our chefs begin planning menus and working on limited-time offerings,” Ryan-Grandell said. “Additionally, our team is constantly reviewing trends and innovations in dining to stay current with the latest ideas.”
Marketing interns have been conquering social media trends lately with their quirky videos reels on Instagram and TikTok.
“I love doing reels and making graphics that are more niche and playful, while other interns like to follow internet trends and create more elegant graphics,” Barone said. “I can tell who makes what graphic or post, and I love that we can all come with our own ideas and be able to express them.”
Feedback comes in every day through multiple channels, including regularly distributed survey cards, the feedback form on the dining website, texts to Dining Services at 82257 and talking to dining managers in person.
While all forms of communication are encouraged, Ryan-Grandell emphasized that face-to-face interactions are the quickest way to address any questions, concerns or comments.
New and returning students have numerous events to look forward to over the academic year.
Lions participated last month in a Lucky Duck promotional event, with weekly winners of a photo contest and a grand prize winner of an HP laptop.
Nicole Piotrowski, the College’s registered dietitian, also works to hold nutrition-focused events, hosting monthly tabling events where students can purchase healthy meal kits at the C-Store.
An accomplishment for Dining Services this year is having a full staff for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. Ryan-Grandell explained that with every position filled, the team can ensure staff are well trained and fully committed to delivering high-quality dining experiences.
All the divisions of Dining Services — management, chefs, food service staff and interns — have different day-to-day responsibilities, but they unite on one common front: serving their students.
“This collaborative approach allows each member to share highlights, raise concerns and address key talking points,” Ryan-Grandell said, “ensuring that we remain aligned in our mission to serve our campus community effectively.”
