By Aaliyah Pamplin
Making campus dining more convenient, Aramark—the university’s new dining service provider—introduced kiosks and Grubhub ordering to the Chick-fil-A at UNC Pembroke. Students can still order at the counter, but cash is the only payment option for in-person orders. Aramark implemented these changes to reduce wait times and streamline the ordering process.
“Part of the thing with Grubhub is that you can order ahead of time—you don’t even have to be at Chick-fil-A,” said Gabriel Eszterhas, vice chancellor for Finance and Administration.
Eszterhas noted that many food establishments use self-service kiosks, comparing the update to McDonald’s as a way to modernize campus dining.
“You don’t have to spend a lot of time interacting at the counter. You can just get your stuff and go,” he said, adding that kiosks have already helped speed things up.
Student feedback has been mostly positive.
“It’s new, and I like it so far,” said UNCP student Tarah Readves.
“I think it’s pretty cool—it cuts down on the wait time,” another student said.
Some students raised concerns about kiosk cleanliness since they are used frequently throughout the day. However, according to Melanie Dial, staff wipe down the kiosks regularly.
“I think the first couple weeks, people are not used to it, but once they figure it out, they’re really going to like it,” Eszterhas said. “And they’ll actually be able to serve more meals.”