Problems with the Grotto Commons

Mairead Stewart, Staff Writer

The Grotto Commons markets itself as a wonderful place to enjoy a meal at most hours of the day. However, people have started to poke more and more holes with problems in the dining hall on both sides of the students and the staff. A popular opinion is that during week one of this school year, the quality and the variety of the food was amazing, but after that, things seemed to deteriorate.

“Mercyhurst does well in their attempts to present unique daily food options. However, it has become apparent that there is less consistency than would be preferred otherwise by the students. Whether or not there is enough evidence to warrant these complaints is left up to the individual, as the quality is subject to each person’s standard and typical diversity of order,” said freshman Eli Lewis, a common visitor to the dining hall. Another student who prefers to stay anonymous claimed that she experienced food poisoning after eating a chicken burrito from the deli. There have been several reports of chicken looking undercooked or “pinkish”. This is not the first case of people feeling sick after eating something from the dining hall. The food options are already pretty limited and now that some are claiming to be avoiding meat from the cafeteria, choices further dwindle. It has become a part of student culture to insult the Grotto, which further damages their reputation.

The Grotto is not at fault for all of its problems however, student behavior has been rumored to be causing problems too. At one point there were apparent threats that the Grotto would not continue to stay open until 2 a.m. due to students misbehaving. People throwing food at the walls or another story of a girl trying to ride the floor-cleaner have been some of the hot topics going around about the misconduct in the dining hall. The university is already under fire when it comes to dining in general. The issues with meal plans is very apparent. “The fact that upperclassmen can pick cheaper options currently while lower class can’t is unacceptable. I understand they cut it off after the 2020 year, but it is stupid and completely unfair. I have a meal plan with 7 swipes a week for around $1.2k and nobody else younger than me has that option at all,” said upperclassmen Jake Konoskpi.

Many students are eating all their meals at the Roost this semester and this may not seem like a problem, but students only receive 100 dollars worth of Bonus Bucks, which can go by fast. There does not need to be so many unnecessary dilemmas with prices and choices when it comes to dining on campus. The issues at the Grotto Commons, along with meal plans, need to be addressed by the university and find a resolution.