By Lauren Kendrick/reporter
When TCC students, faculty and staff need refueling, they need look no further than the campus cafeterias.
According to its Web site, Educational Catering, Inc., aims to provide healthy, delicious meal choices with fresh food made from scratch.
“TCC cafeterias are really good,” said Chelsea Bohon, a student on NE and SE campuses. “Breakfast and lunch foods are delicious.”
Although each campus provides the same types of foods and stations, the campus chefs have customized their offerings.
Students can find weekly menus for each campus at www.ed-cat.com/tcc/index.htm.
“We are looking to add action stations to our café if possible,” said Steve Medcalf, ECI food services district manager.
Medcalf said action stations are areas offering stir-fry or pasta meals prepared to order in front of the customer.
For fall, “there will be other items and specials we will be discussing,” he said.
Students with busy schedules like Krystle McVicker from SE Campus know what they want.
“I never usually go to any other part of campus except to my classes,” she said.
McVicker said she would like a cheaper menu at the cafeterias or maybe a dollar menu.
“I’m a poor college student and a dollar menu would really help,” she said. “It seems like everything is more expensive in the cafeteria on campus.”
Last spring, TCC started a program where any student organization can sign up their students to receive 5 percent off any purchase in the cafés. ECI also has a plan where a student can sign up for a debit account and receive 10 percent extra for their first-time account deposit.
“Basically, this is where you put $50 on your account and receive $5 extra for that account,” Medcalf said.
Each campus has its own cafeteria and locations can be found on each campus map or on the ECI Web site mentioned above.
Cafeterias are open 7:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 7:30 a.m.–2 p.m. Friday. South Campus offers a coffee shop with snacks, smoothies and beverages 7:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 7:30 a.m.–4 p.m. Friday. Campus bookstores also sell snacks and drinks.
“I wish they served breakfast longer,” Bohon said. “That would be one thing I would change.”
She said she is happy with both the NE and SE cafeterias and the food they serve.
NW student Ashley Shelton said she goes for convenience when eating on campus.
“I normally just eat snacks from the vending machines,”she said. ”Walking to the cafeteria in between classes takes too long.”
Shelton suggested the addition of some smaller food stands in other buildings or around campus.
“Students taking classes back to back don’t have time to walk all the way to the cafeteria and back,”she said. “When I’m done with classes, I would rather go home to eat.”
Anyone with questions or comments can contact Medcalf at 817-201-2293 or by e-mail at smedcalf@ed-cat.com.
