What Happened to the Cafeteria? Recap of Haynes’ Email Regarding Food Truck Program

On Thursday, September 17, Dr. Sandra Haynes, the Executive Vice President for WSU Statewide campuses, sent out a mass-email titled “Fall Update on Food,” addressing the popular concern about access to fresh, hot food options on campus.  

In the announcement, Haynes declares that the solution WSUV administrators have decided to move forward with is an expanded food truck program. Furthermore, Haynes shares some context to illustrate how WSUV came to this decision.   

“For many years, the university operated a traditional cafeteria with the expectation that it would break even, as is the case with WSU’s other service centers,” Haynes wrote. However, despite having a higher student population then, the cafeteria was never able to make enough profit to stay operational and was thus forced to shut down. 

Haynes explained that the reason administration decided to switch to a food truck-based model is because, “they allow us to rotate vendors, introduce different cuisines and price points, support local small businesses, and adapt based on the preferences of our students, faculty, and staff.” 

Haynes shared that Bluum Coffee is returning to campus for another year and is operational on Mondays and Wednesdays. Additionally, the new Lady Bird Fried Chicken truck has begun coming to campus and will be operational every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. However, she notes that weather conditions or other circumstances may affect availability.  

Haynes closed the announcement by acknowledging the concerns of the community and making a commitment “to continuing to improve the experience, listening to your feedback, and building on what we learn together.”