By Abagail Chartier
Stonehill College rolled out a new way to order food on the first weekend back with Sodexo’s new app, Bite University, in response to COVID-19 and new health guidelines.
Sodexo’s newest app, Bite University, combines detailed nutritional information on their food products with a purchasing element compatible with Hill Cards. It was built on the foundation of Sodexo’s older app, Bite, which only had nutritional information.
To order from most eating options on campus, you have to go through Bite University. Food from Gigi’s Cafe and Au Bon Pain can only be obtained using the app, while Aces doesn’t require it at all. The Hill requires it for all “hot” items, but not “cold” items such as to-go food or drinks. At the Commons you have two options, you can order in person or ahead of time with the app. Dunkin Donuts is not included in Bite University.
Stonehill was looking at mobile ordering apps even before the COVID-19 virus hit, as the use of them by students began to rise. The pandemic accelerated the search for a mobile app for the college’s use.
General Manager of Dining Services Kathleen Fitzgerald, Operations and Card Manager Linda Del Roches, and Director of Purchasing Greg Wolfe said that during June and July a number of meetings were held to find out how to safely feed those returning for the fall semester while keeping staff healthy and following health guidelines.
“Sodexo really came through,” Fitzgerald said.
She said the heads of the company informed her that their top priority was keeping their employees and students safe and healthy.
“What everyone realizes is that venues now need distancing, distancing needs orders, and if you can get these online apps you can control the way orders come into the system and spread everything out,” Wolfe said.
Bite University offers timeslots in 10 minute increments that students can choose for when they retrieve their food.
Julia Goslin, a Stonehill junior, said she feels Bite University is “definitely efficient and cuts down on the lines in The Commons significantly.” Goslin went on to explain that prior to the app, the Commons were very congested.
Stonehill officials said with everyone now needing to stay six feet apart, there would be no way to feed hundreds of people within a two-hour slot without absurdly long lines and wait time. For example, last semester Au Bon Pain used to get around 800 students ordering in person on Tuesday’s. That number for Au Bon Pain is down to 500-600 with Bite University.
Bite University, launched less than a week prior to its first usage by Stonehill, did not come without growing pains experienced by students.
Within the first few days, students complained there didn’t seem to be enough time slots to retrieve food, and a readiness issue.
“It takes a lot longer to be ready even when they say it’s ready,” said Scott Valenti, a senior. “It took [the Hill] two hours after I ordered food for it to be ready on Saturday.”
Bite University has since been patched and updated to meet the needs of students as best it can while still following guidelines, said Del Roches, who works closely with the Sodexo app developer.
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