With Rollins College welcoming some of its largest freshman classes in 2022 and 2023, including about 638 new students last fall, expansions to dining services have been a priority. This school year marked the grand opening of The Grind Café on the ground floor of Olin Library, replacing the former Bookmark Café and offering a selection of baked goods, sandwiches, and beverages. In addition to The Grind, The Marketplace—commonly known as the CC—has undergone significant changes. Dave’s Boathouse, formerly serving Asian fusion cuisine, has been converted into additional seating and food options for The Marketplace. The lower level now features a simple serving station with foods free from the top 9 allergens, plus a soup and salad bar and a sandwich station, catering to a wider range of dietary needs.
In addition to the transformation of The Marketplace and The Grind Café, Bush Café has also undergone changes. In previous years, students would order directly at the register, but now ordering is done through a kiosk. These kiosks at Bush and The Grind allow students to place their orders and pay using their campus cards. Initially, the kiosks did not support modifications to standard menu items, like adding espresso shots to your favorite latte, but this issue has since been addressed. Overall, these updates aim to streamline the ordering process and enhance the student experience; however, some students found value in the former method of ordering.
“I used to look forward to going to order my coffee in the morning and talking with the people at the register, and now I feel like that part of my routine has become so impersonal,” says Emmanuella Althuis (‘26).
More changes to the dining services include the lack of takeaway options in The Marketplace, most prominently, the OZZI container. First introduced in 2017, OZZI containers provided students with the option to take food from The Marketplace. Students paid $6 to obtain their first container, which could then be returned to an OZZI machine for a coin to get a new, clean container. In a campus wide email sent out on August 16, Campus Dining Services said that, “Results of budget and operational audits of this past academic year revealed that continued misuse of the Campus Center takeout program (OZZI container) has drastically eroded operating budgets and contributed to food waste beyond our ability to compensate,” leading to the termination of the OZZI containers. This termination has had mixed reception, with many students relying on the containers as a way of eating during a busy day.
Jimmy Kildea (‘26) explains, “I do think the food is as good as it’s always been, but it’s been tough not being able to take food from the CC. With the hours of operation lining up with my classes, there were lots of times last year where I wouldn’t have time to sit and eat, so I would take it on the road.”
Of all the dining changes made this year, The Grind proves to be one of the more favorable dining changes, with students flocking to the cozy confines of Olin’s ground floor. However, students have commented on some of the café’s disadvantages.
“I love The Grind. I recently learned that the coffee there was sustainably sourced and environmentally friendly, so that’s super interesting, but everything is so expensive. I bought a latte, and it was like, $10,” says Riley Morton (‘25).
In addition to prices, other critiques concern The Grind’s hours of operation as the café opening at 10 a.m. leaves those with early morning classes having to find their morning pick-me-up elsewhere.
From The Grind’s popularity to concerns over kiosk ordering and the end of the OZZI container program, these updates have reshaped the campus dining experience and will continue to as more adjustments and changes are made.
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