By Sarah Monarca
University of Tampa (UT) students have a new reason to share their opinions on dining services thanks to a unique feedback campaign launched by UT Dining Services. The campaign offers students a tantalizing incentive: complete a survey and receive a complimentary 6″ sub, a bag of chips or cookies, and a fountain soda, all redeemable at the Rathskeller. This initiative showcases the dining services’ commitment to student input and highlights the Rathskeller’s significance as a popular dining spot on campus.
The goal of the survey, sent out in an email to students, is to help strategize the future of dining on campus. By encouraging students to share their dining experiences, UT dining services aims to gather feedback to help improve and make informed decisions for the future of dining at UT.
Located in the basement of Plant Hall, with the entrance on the side closest to the Hillsborough River, the Rathskeller is a unique dining spot that features a Boar’s Head Deli and Starbucks drinks. Operating hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Students have already begun to share their opinions on the Rathskeller. Opinions have been positive and negative, highlighting the inability to use meal swipes.
Vanessa Burns, a junior at UT, expressed her desire for more meal plan options, saying, “I would love to see more meal plans offered so students wouldn’t have to use their Spartan dollars.”
When purchasing items at the Rathskeller, there is no meal swipe option. Students are limited to using Spartan dollars, cash, and card payments.
Senior UT student Olivier Azevedo highlighted the issue of inconsistent operating hours, saying, “The only complaint I have is their hours are very ambiguous. Open sometimes and not others even when stated they would be open during those times.”
The Rathskeller has also proven not to be as widely advertised to students as other on-campus dining options. Advertising for the Rathskeller is popularized on the campus dining Instagram, @utdinngservices. Their page mainly promotes the dining hall and Starbucks as quick and easy places to grab food with meal swipes.
Wyatt Leto, a senior at UT, emphasized the need for better advertising, saying, “They don’t advertise enough. My brother is a freshman, and he had no idea what it was until I told him about the survey.”
In terms of overall quality and experience, students have had positive things to say about the Rathskeller. Students praise the Rathskeller’s food quality and customization of meals.
Azevedo praised the Rathskeller, saying, “They have the best option for campus food, and the food quality is great since it’s Boars Head products. There’s also a lot of room to customize your sandwich.”
Further providing positive feedback, junior student Keegan French highlighted the Rathskeller’s quality, noting, “It feels more authentic than other food options on campus.”
Overall, the feedback from students reflects Rathskeller’s status as a well-respected dining spot on campus, with room for improvement in hours and using meal swipes to enhance the dining experience for all students. This campaign runs until April 30, so complete the survey and explore the various dining offerings at the Rathskeller.