Loyola Dining Services works hard to listen and respond to its customers in order to provide great service to students, faculty and staff.  Our number one goal is to provide quality food, exceptional customer service and a great dining atmosphere.

This semester Loyola students have voiced some concerns over the number of Tulane students eating in the Orleans Room and retail outlets. I would like to clearly explain the purpose of Uptown Campus Dining and let you know what we are doing to address your concerns.

Uptown Campus Dining is a partnership between Loyola University and Tulane University created to provide variety and convenience to students, faculty and staff on both campuses. Uptown Campus Dining allows any person with a Loyola or Tulane ID and/or a declining balance meal plan (wolf bucks, wave bucks, pelican dollars and green bucks) the opportunity to eat on either campus.  Uptown Campus Dining can be used at most locations on both campuses. Loyola students have long enjoyed the benefits of using Wolfbucks at Tulane retail operations. Now, Tulane students have the opportunity to use their meal plans in the Orleans Room.

In the past, the program has been very one-sided with mostly Loyola students eating at Tulane retail outlets. For example, last year 6,000 to 8,000 Loyola students ate at Tulane every week, while only 50 Tulane students ate at Loyola. This semester we allowed Tulane students to eat in the Orleans Room in an effort to make the ratio of Tulane and Loyola customers more equitable.  Since the addition of the Orleans Room to the Tulane plan, we see approximately 1000 Tulane students visit Loyola weekly to eat at our facilities. 

Students from both universities must participate so the program will continue and both universities will enjoy the benefits of Uptown Campus Dining. 

Recently, Loyola students have voiced their concerns over the influx of Tulane students eating in the Orleans Room. Many students have commented that the Orleans Room is very crowded and that we are running out of food at peak meal times due to the Tulane students.  We have tried to anticipate the growth of both Loyola and Tulane students by adding additional seating throughout the Danna Center.

This semester we added another 150 seats in the Orleans Room and increased seating capacity around Flambeaux’s and The Market.  We also created the O.R. to Go program in Satchmo’s.   O.R. to Go was designed for Loyola students who don’t have time to stop for an entire meal in the O.R. and who want to use their meal swipes.

Through student suggestions, we are now looking into opening a second register during peak times in the O.R. to alleviate some of the wait times and long lines, as well as considering expanding hours of operation. We have also increased our food production to accommodate the increase in students.  We hope all of these efforts will improve the speed of service at Loyola and offer more options for students. 

We want the Loyola student community to understand why we made these changes to the Uptown Campus Dining program.  We know how much Loyola students enjoy being able to eat at Tulane but we need the participation of Tulane students at Loyola to make the program viable. 

Although both universities experience periods of overcrowding at peak meal times, the benefits to students, on either campus, far outweigh the negatives.  Now, both campuses can enjoy variety and excitement during meal times!

Caitlin Brewster works for Dining Services. She can be reached at [email protected]