One of the many services that Sinclair offers for students is convenient on-campus dining. Food service locations present on campus include the restaurants in the Tartan Marketplace in Building 7, Sinclair Coffee in the library, and the newly-reopened Snack Shoppe on the top floor of Building 13. Like other departments, food services at Sinclair has undergone changes since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, the service has been able to bounce back and expand what they are doing. The Clarion spoke to Tim Sweet, general manager of Sinclair’s food services, about the changes that have been made and what Sinclair can expect from them.
In first two weeks of this semester, there has been an increase in the number of students present on campus. Sweet is excited about campus gaining traffic and hopes that the food service can continue to grow along with the student body.
Among the changes happening with Sinclair’s food services is a shift in hours. As of fall 2022, the Tartan Marketplace will be open Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with lunch taking place between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The Sinclair Coffee shop in the library will open at 7:30 a.m. and close at 6 p.m., except on Fridays, when it will close at 2 p.m. The Snack Shoppe in Building 13, which has recently reopened after an extended closure, is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Thursday.
The biggest changes to food services are in the food options. The Tartan Marketplace will now be serving made-to-order breakfast. For lunch, there will be guest chefs, specializing in different styles, and guest restaurants, including Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken. Gluten-free and vegan items are available.
Sweet expressed that there was a challenge in finding restaurants that had the staff to take on the partnership – especially with staffing shortages that are occurring. According to Sweet, Bibibop Asian Grill, which has many locations here in Ohio, was happy to team up with Sinclair to bring students a larger variety of food.
Variety is important to Sweet because he knows that “people get bored” with repetitive menus. He sees a need to “keep up with trends” and meet as many needs as possible so that they can continue to serve a large group of people. He said that students are welcome to express their needs, wants, or concerns at any time.
The daily menus are available on Sinclair’s Aramark Café page, and the full list of hours for all dining locations can be found in the Student Life section of Sinclair’s website.