Food for thought – A perspective on Bob’s Place as the primary source of food for students who live on campus

First-year students at the University of Idaho are required to have a meal plan. Five out of the six meal plans provided highlight Bob’s Place as a primary source of food.

Vandal Dining chef Jeska LeBlanc serves Wallace Resident Assistant Noel Hathaway on a St. Patricks Day themed Bob’s Place meal March 13. One of the featured entrees was a corned beef dish along with many other holiday themed dishes.

University Housing Marketing Coordinator Cara Lehman said a meal plan is required for incoming students and residence hall occupants, because the residence halls would not provide three meals a day for students.

Wallace Residence Center has approximately 1,000 students and its small kitchen in the basement is not able to feed all of the residents, Lehman said.

She said the transition from home to college life can be difficult, which is why a meal plan is an effective tool — meal plans allow students to have more time to focus on their schoolwork.

According to Lehman, campus dining locations such as Bob’s Place offer a tool for social transition as well.

Dan Butcher, a resident of Willey Wing in Wallace, said incoming students with new meal plans shouldn’t set their expectations too high for Bob’s Place. Butcher said new students should be open-minded and experience Bob’s Place on their own to gain their own opinion of the food.

UI student Niko Levy transferred from North Idaho College. He lives in the Scholars Building of the Living Learning Community and eats at Bob’s Place every day.

“I like the variety of food available,” Levy said. “When I was at NIC, they didn’t have nearly as many choices available.”

Levy said he enjoys the food at Bob’s Place being readily available every night and that he doesn’t have to cook for himself as much as he used to. He also said the food at Bob’s Place isn’t the best quality in his opinion, but it isn’t the worst either.

“I would sacrifice some quality, definitely, to not have to cook every night,” Levy said.

Derek Stuivenga, a resident of the Ballard Wing of Wallace, said he thinks Bob’s Place is valuable to UI students.

“I know some kids who go to other colleges and they have to literally walk to the middle of campus – (from) where they live a mile off campus – just to eat,” Stuivenga said. “So it’s really cool to have a facility here, literally right next to our rooms that we can go and grab food from whenever we want.”

UI student Ryan Chatel said Bob’s Place has good food overall, though he understands why some say they don’t enjoy the food.

“The problem with it, (or) a lot of the reason people complain, is that they get used to it after so long,” Chatel said. “A lot of my friends will complain, ‘Oh it’s not good.’ Really, it’s just that they have had it for so long now that they’ve gotten used to it.”

Jake Smith can be reached at [email protected]