1. What year are you?

I am a third-year university student undertaking a business related course. Do you have a meal plan? Which one?

I possess a meal plan for they ensure that I spent my finances well and I eat a balanced diet. I take my meals in the morning, during lunch and in the evening. In case I need to eat in between my meals times I purchase fruits or snacks. My meal plan runs for a month to ensure that I do not have many swipes left at the end of each semester.

2. How do the meal swipes work? How many do you get a week? Do the swipes roll over to the next year/semester?

The meal swipes in the university are used when a person wants to take a meal in the school cafeteria or dining hall. Instead of a student paying with cash for their meals they use their meal card which pays for the meal. I use my meal card three times a day, and hence in a week, I have twenty-one swipes. When a student has not finished the entire amount in their meal card swipe, then it is rolled over to the next semester. When the amount ends, the student is required to renew their meal card swipe.

3. What is/was your favourite place to eat on campus?

The school cafeteria is my favourite place to eat on campus. The cafeteria provides food of high quality, and the customer services are excellent. The cafeteria also offers meals of various groups which ensure that is a person has an allergy; they can avoid some foods. The school cafeteria also offers a quiet environment where one can speak to friends and even hold discussions as they take their meals.

4. Why is/was this your favourite place to eat?

Chick-fil-A is my favourite place to eat due to the well-cooked meals that are made available by the restaurant. The chicken of the restaurant is cooked in various ways such that it does not retain a lot of fat which may affect the health of the consumers. Moreover, the waiters at the restaurant respect the preferences of the consumers and are always willing to help when the need arises. In case one is brought the food they had not ordered the waiters genuinely apologise to them and promise not to repeat the same mistake.

5. Can you think of anything you do not like about this place?

In some cases, the waiters stand in strategic places in restaurants for example, at the door or behind some customers’ seats. This makes most people conscious of the discussions they are having. This means that the waiters may be viewed to intruding the consumer’s privacy. The waiters should be standing in places where they are easily accessible and also do not distract the customers.

6. Why is that an issue?

Waiters are present to serve the customers and make them feel comfortable when they visit the restaurant. The constant presence of the waiters in the customers makes the consumers conscious, and they become uncomfortable. In the long run, the customers may stop visiting the restaurant as they feel they are not given enough privacy when taking their meals.

7. What do you think the biggest issue is with on-campus dining?

The on-campus dining provides the students with low-quality food which in most cases does not contain the necessary nutrients. Also, the dining is crowded as the eating area is not well arranged which makes the student to be crowded in one area while in some parts it is empty. The dining lacks regulations which cause conflicts as the students queue to get meals as some jump from the end of the line to the front and no one confronts them.

8. How could Miami improve dining?

The school should set regulations that all students should be required to follow or else suffer some consequences. The dining hall should be arranged in such a manner that the students will be encouraged to seat in any area of the hall. The latter will reduce overcrowding. The dining hall management should come up with ways of improving the food to ensure that the students are fed on quality food.

9. Any other comments?

The meal swipes are useful in teaching money management to students and ensure that the needy students do not skip any meal. The dining hall present on campus will be popular amongst students when the management improves customer service and the quality of food provided.