Dining services previews potential new meal options to replace Chick-Fil-A

OCU dining services is hosting themed weeks for new meal option possibilities.

Dining services is conducting tasting events this semester for new options to replace the Chick-fil-A on campus. The new venue, once it’s chosen, is planned to be installed over summer and will open by the fall 2021 semester.

Casey Kreger, director of housing and residence life, said the process started a year ago, but due to the pandemic, dining services was unable to change the venue over summer as planned. Since then, he said he’s been working with Student Government Association and a small group of students that represent different student populations to gather feedback on students’ needs.

Kreger said he’s looked at the restaurants students enjoy in Oklahoma City and considered what Chartwells, OCU’s dining provider, can do to build a custom option to meet individual needs.

“I think OCU and our students are very unique, and we’re not like any other schools. Our students have very different needs, from our athletes, to our performing arts students, to any student that’s on campus. So, we gathered information, and we took that and made new concepts,” Kreger said.

The first of two potential concepts is called “Bowl Life” and was featured from Jan. 25-29 in the Caf in Tom and Brenda McDaniel University Center. Kreger said Bowl Life functions similarly to a Chipotle or Qdoba and offers dietary-friendly and healthy options, along with Asian and barbecue options. He said it comes in a single container and can be customized for each individual.

The second concept is called “Melt” and will be featured Feb. 8-12.

“It’s something similar to what Alvin’s used to have on campus back in the day that predated Chick-fil-A, and also has a McAllister’s, Panera-type feel,” Kreger said.

After trying the new concepts, students and faculty will be able to take a short survey by scanning a QR code or by using tablets provided to give feedback about the food.

Jacob Harrel, religious education/English junior, said he thinks the new concepts fit with the style of the campus community.

“It reminds me of what Alvin’s used to be like before I was here, from what I’ve heard from alumni, that there was a salad bar and soup and it was more like a bodega than it is now,” he said. “So, I think it would be nostalgic for some of the alumni as well as good for the people who are currently on campus.”

Harrel also said he thinks it’s a good idea for the university to replace Chick-fil-A.

“Chick-fil-A is delicious, and I love them, of course, but it’s not a very healthy option. And Chick-fil-A is a company that I don’t like to support financially, specifically for political reasons, even though I will cheat every once in a while and eat there,” he said. “I think at their core, the university does not line up with the core values of Chick-fil-A. And our campus itself is very health-conscious when you think about how many dancers we have. I myself am not a dancer or an actor, but I try to be health-conscious when it comes to my meals.”

Emma Krajicek, music theater junior, also said it’s a good idea to replace Chick-fil-A.

“The connections Chick-fil-A has, their association to homophobic things and stuff like that, and on a diverse campus like this, it seems like a weird thing to have as our only quick options other than Alvin’s. So, if we want something hot, we have to go to Chick-fil-A. I think replacing Chick-fil-A might give us a better range of options in that we might have something healthier hopefully,” she said.

Kreger said he’s optimistic students will like the new concepts.

“If feedback comes back from students and they do not like either one, that is totally acceptable, and we’ll go back to the drawing table,” he said. “But based on past feedback and student feedback we’re getting now, we think, so far, that both of these will be a hit of the options we have available to us through our dining service provider.”