Webster’s main dining hall, Marletto’s Marketplace, is facing a slew of complaints from students, ranging from food quality to food availability.
This is not the first time that students have raised concerns about Marletto’s. Just last spring, Marletto’s served raw chicken to a student, and the image spread quickly over social media. To adapt to an increasing number of students, Marletto’s went through a series of changes this year with the intention to improve the service.
Director of Housing, Rachael Amick, witnessed some of these shifts in operation herself, including its current reception from students.
“This year, we have done a major revamp of how Marletto’s works and that’s where we’re hearing those growing pains, just with the amount of changes and modality,” Amick said.
The changes include a shift from the typical block meal, which could afford a student an entree and few other items, to a buffet style. An increased amount of vegetarian and halal foods were implemented along with clearly identifiable food stations.
These were intended to accommodate the preferences of a variety of students, from those who want to spend more time in the dining hall chatting with friends to others with busier schedules. However, the dining hall is still leaving students like freshman Prasamsha Sharma Dhungana with a bad taste in their mouths.
“It was Saturday, we went to Marletto’s at 5:30 p.m. [and] we swiped our card at the entrance, but there was no Hindu food left,” Sharma Dhungana said. “Everything was pork and beef…it was disheartening and we had to talk to the staff for a refund.”
This sentiment was echoed by another first year student who wishes to remain anonymous.
“Marletto’s hardly restocks food after it’s over…I will get food only if I reach there in five minutes before it even opens. If I can make it at that time I do go to Marletto’s because I can’t use points all the time. If it is past half an hour…I go to the UC, which is most of the time these days,” the student said.
While several students share these concerns, not all of these qualms are making their way to the necessary people.
“Sometimes there will be lots of complaints where people are talking, but it’s not actually getting to housing,” Amick said. “I also ask if students are having issues, we want to know that because we can’t fix it if we don’t know.”
Housing sent out a newsletter on Sept. 6 addressing the concerns and providing information to students that will hopefully make the dining process easier for all. Detailed information about food stations, eat-in/to-go policies and more were shared in the email.
Students won’t be stuck with Marletto’s and Webster’s current dining provider—Sodexo—forever. The university is currently in the process of searching for a new provider, but for now, they will have to work together to improve the dining experience.
To communicate any questions or concerns about dining experiences, contact housing@webster.edu or websterdining@webster.edu.
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