The Knorr Family Dining Room has introduced new card readers at its entrance to improve efficiency and repainted the food stations.
Metz Culinary Management installed the card readers over Christmas break, replacing the card swiping machines. The new readers are “touch and pay” and are faster than the card swipers, according to Metz operation manager Tammy Cole.
“Our goal was to get students in and make it easier for them,” said Tammy Cole, the Metz operations manager. “The swiping was a frustration not just for me but for every student.”
Sophomore Avery Nowowiejski said she believes the new machines will improve the dining hall experience.
“I think that the scanning system will be very helpful for students who are used to unlocking doors with their card on the back of their phone,” Nowowiejski said. “It will make the lines go faster.”
According to Cole, Metz will eventually remove the phone scanners as well and only use the card readers. The readers will be used at all campus locations where Metz operates, from Jitters to the Roche Sports Complex.
Students will also be able to use their phones with the new readers by connecting them to an Apple Watch or downloading an app on their smartphone. Metz is rolling out instructions on how to do so.
Cole said she still encourages students to use their physical cards.
“Everybody in the college recommends everyone carry their card around anyway,” Cole said. “Honestly, the fastest way is the card.”
In addition to the new readers, Metz employees repainted the food stations.
“They’ve been wanting to kind of make it their own,” said Kelly Syllaba, the dining hall greeter and cashier. “They had a lot of really dark colors in here, and over the break, they wanted to make things look new and a little brighter.”
Metz was aiming to blend its aesthetic with the classic Hillsdale color scheme, according to Jeffery Cassell, the Metz general manager.
“Metz Culinary Management has been on campus for three semesters and we wanted the space to represent more of our brand,” Cassell said in an email. “We wanted to update the look and feel of the servery with fresh paint and signage, while taking into consideration Hillsdale College colors.”
According to Cassell, Metz staff chose colors to correspond with each station. The salad bar, Green Scene, is now green while J. Clark’s Grille is bright red. Other colors include pale yellow at the Main Plate station and gray at the Bravo station.
The full-time Metz staff including Cole and Adam Harvey, the head chef, painted all the walls over Christmas break, according to Syllaba. Employees also installed the new signs at each food station.
“They’re pretty proud of what they’ve done,” Syllaba said. “I think it looks a lot brighter and I’m enjoying it.”
Cole said Metz has planned no further renovations at this time.
