Ferris prides itself on its superior dining services, but students may not always share the same appreciation. If you went on a tour of Ferris before deciding to go here, it’s almost guaranteed that the Rock was a destination.
“Basically every year since I’ve gotten here, the Rock has gotten worse,” music industry management senior Gabriel Aikins said. “When I get there at noon, it’s not surprising if the line to get in is literally outside.”
Since Westview closed a few years ago, most students have turned to the Rock as their go-to place to eat in between classes, leading to the issue of too many people and not enough space.
However, the Rock’s overcrowding problem will be over next semester, Assistant Manager at the Rock Tom Pizzo said.
“The Quad Café is going to open,” Pizzo said. “So that takes care of our problem. The Quad’s in the right spot, so it’s going to be busy and people are going to want to go there. So that will alleviate our problem here at the Rock.”
The fact that the Rock is open to the public also contributes to the lack of space during prime meal times. It can be extremely frustrating when students can’t find empty tables yet see many overtaken by large groups of “townies.”
“We are open to the public, and because we are, we can’t turn people away,” Pizzo said. “Our customers that live in the area realize how nice it is, how good it looks, and how good quality the food is.”
Upon first entering college, most students can agree that the Rock’s open-til-midnight buffet-style food seems awesome. But after eating there every day, their view of the Rock’s food being “good quality” may start to decline.
“I really like salads, but I don’t like the salads here,” pre-pharmacy sophomore Lindsey Gerstler said. “And the fruit is so gross. The bananas are so small, I don’t know if they’re banana mutants or something.”
No matter where you go, mass-produced food isn’t going to be the greatest. And the Rock is still a college dining hall, so expectations can’t be astronomical. But, some students are too fed up to realize that Ferris’ dining could be worse.
“Just because it’s better than other places doesn’t mean it’s good,” Aikins said. “It’s really just less bad.”
Van Alstine disagreed, saying that the dining services Ferris provides are better than most other schools in the area.
“I think the Rock, on a good day, is better than pretty much anywhere else I’ve been,” Van Alstine said.
No, Ferris’ dining isn’t five-star quality. And students may not understand exactly why it’s run the way it is, but the Rock’s workers try their best to make the experience of eating at a dining hall every day a little better.
“We figured out what we needed to do to put ourselves a little bit better than the other universities, and we did it,” Pizzo said. “The quality of our services is over the top. As for the problems of overcrowding and the non-student customers that go here, I’m glad that it’s being alleviated.”