By Hayden Mortensen
Reporter
Get GET! Get it? Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) Campus Restaurants requires customers to pre-order on-campus food through ‘GET Mobile’ (GET) this fall, with three exceptions:
- Old Main Market (OMM) allows in-person orders.
- Customers may order The Commons meals in person at the new OMM Outpost located next to The Commons entrance.
- The OMM Outpost provides drinks and sides which can be ordered in person to reduce crowds at OMM.
All dining spaces uphold physical distancing requirements, so students should use GET for campus dining. The app includes menus, allergen keys, and operation hours for participating campus restaurants. Students can place pickup orders up to one week in advance. They can also keep track of their funds on the app.
Using GET mitigates COVID-19 transmission. Other protective measures from Campus Restaurants include free quarantine meal delivery and the postponement of the Green Box Program, which previously offered reusable take-out containers for a small fee.
Free meal delivery applies to students in ‘quarantine’ – those who are awaiting COVID-19 test results. Quarantine meals can be ordered at plu.edu/dining/quarantine-meals through September 14th. The meals themselves are not free, just the delivery.
COVID positive students will not receive delivered meals. They will be upgraded to ‘isolation.’ According to Elizabeth Hopper, the director of PLU’s Health Center “Students who require isolation will be transported to and housed in the Pierce County Temporary Care Center.” However, going home to a permanent residence may also be acceptable.
No other delivery options are available.
“We might add a delivery option through GET once we see what things look like post the quarantine period,” said Erin McGinnis, PLU’s Associate Vice President for Hospitality and Retail Services. “There are lots of factors that will play into this decision.”
Postponing the Green Box Program keeps dining efficient and sanitary. Reusable take-out “Green Box” containers won’t be offered until COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. McGinnis clarified that disposable containers aren’t ideal for environmental sustainability, but they create flexibility with changes in seating capacity and sanitation requirements.
Infrastructure alterations are also a result of the pandemic. The Commons added OMM Outpost and Sweet & Savory. OMM Outpost is a kiosk-type snack bar at The Commons entrance. Sweet & Savory replaced the old salad bar as a daytime food service station. Customers may pick up food there from 7 am – 7:30 pm on weekdays and limited hours on weekends.
To ease the burden on students, Campus Restaurants currently offers discounts to those with meal plans A-D.
One thing to note: According to Jennifer Stolz, the marketing manager for PLU Hospitality and Campus Restaurants, discounts are slashed for in-person orders placed at OMM Outpost by students with meal plans A-D. Presumably, the discount slash is meant to encourage students to order through GET. Stolz said OMM Outpost isn’t intended for student use but for guests who don’t have GET.
If one is looking for a different place to spend dining dollars, they may do so at 208 Garfield because Kelley Café and Lute Café are closed for fall. 208 Garfield will accept dining dollars, is open for take-out, and will resume in-person dining once Pierce County enters phase three of the Washington Safe Start plan.
