Students Buzz about Campus Food Trucks
North End Dining. Photo by Giuseppe Romano '23
Located at the Northend of campus outside McCormick Hall, Marist College students eagerly await the arrival of the food trucks almost every weekend. A variety of food trucks have been present on campus since fall 2019 and have garnered great appeal since.
Bethany Zekraus ‘23, Julia Granger ‘23 and Brooke Fanuele ‘24 enjoyed the Farmers and Chefs truck the most. Granger said, “They never disappoint. They have diverse options for everyone and their food is always fresh.”
Meanwhile, Dylan Thompson ‘23 and Danielle Scalera ‘23 savor the Embers Leader of the Pack Pizza truck. Thompson highlighted his excitement over the pizza being cooked right in front of him.
Students discovered these food trucks through the Marist Dining Services Instagram (@maristeats) and Facebook accounts, as well as through word of mouth.
There are a wide variety of food trucks offered to cater to the students. Sodexo employee Nadia Castell finds suitable trucks by, “combining insights from student surveys and research[ing] popular trucks in the local area.”
“We made sure to be inclusive of different cuisines,” Castell said.
Castell said the most popular trucks are Embers Leader of the Pack Pizza, Reconnect Foods 3 Tacos and Max’s Melts BBQ Pulled Pork Melt. However, she noted that some of the numbers may be skewed due to certain trucks being present on campus more often than others.
Castell detailed how she decides when the best time is to have food trucks. “Based on student traffic trends and trying to offer them as a rotating alternative to our standard retail offerings.”
Besides the food, there are other parts about the events that students appreciate. “It’s pretty good that you can use thrifty cash or your debit/credit card,” said MacKenzie Mitchell ‘23.
However, Thompson stated his dissatisfaction with the excess wait times. Conger and Thompson also felt the food was a little expensive, emphasizing the pricey meals at Reconnect Foods Tacos.
“Grille Wagon was my least favorite because I don’t really like any of the options on the menu. I feel like they have a lot of meat options but not much else,” said Granger, who noted that she’s attended 15 trucks on campus.
“I would like to see gluten-free items in future food trucks for my friends as there is not much variety for them,” said Fanuele. Thompson and Scalera added that they would like to see a dessert truck in the future featuring sweets like ice cream and cookies. Julianne Fagan ‘23 would also like to see more vegan and vegetarian trucks that offer a variety of healthy and balanced meals.