THE DISH
Villanova Dining Services Blog

The count down begins for our End of Semester Celebration ~ December 10th

Oct 28, 2009 by Timothy Dietzler

On Thursday, December 10th we will celebrate our 77th bi-annual End of Semester Celebration. Our chefs and management team are planning a fantastic meal featuring our traditional Surf and Turf dinner and our dessert extravaganza. The spectacular dessert extravaganza will offer over two dozen desserts, a chocolate fondue bar, and Bananas Foster. You don't want to miss it. Come early, the dining halls open at 4:15 PM. Also, join us on Thursday November 12th for our Thanksgiving Dinner celebration. Best Regards, Tim

Sustainable Sushi now in our retail locations

Oct 21, 2009 by Timothy Dietzler

Judging by the sales, you may have already noticed the change in our fresh sushi program in our retail operations. We are pleased to announce that all the fresh sushi available in our retail locations is "Sustainable" and meets the requirements set by our partnership with the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We have added several new sushi selections, including premium options such as Spicy Tuna or Salmon Crunch, Salmon Avocado, and already a big favorite ~ Buffalo Teriyaki. All of the seafood served by Villanova Dining Services is sustainable ~ healthier for you, and healthier for our environment. You can read more about our partnership with the Monterey Bay Aquarium on our website at: http://www.villanova.edu/services/dining/sustainability/montereybay.htm. Let me know which one is your favorite! Best Regards, Tim

Welcome back from your fall break

Oct 17, 2009 by Timothy Dietzler

We hope you had a great fall break. We have some fun special events planned for you over the next several weeks, beginning with our Oktoberfest Dinner on Tuesday October 20th. I hope you will join us for this special dinner in the resident dining halls. Prior to fall break, on Tuesday October 6th, SGA and Dining Services hosted a town hall meeting. Thanks for all the students that attended the meeting and shared you ideas, suggestions and feedback. We will work with SGA in communicating the feedback we received over the next several weeks. In the meantime, based on some the feedback we did receive at the meeting, we have decided to reset you guest meals to the number you started with at the beginning of the semester, and according to your meal plan. We are also going to keep the Italian Kitchen open until 3 PM Mon-Friday for those students seeking a later lunch. Thanks again to those students who attended the town hall meeting. If you were not able to attend, please use our online Speak Out card system on our website and send us your feedback [http://www.villanova.edu/services/dining/speakout/]. Best Regards, Tim

Join me at the SGA and Dining Services Town Hall Meeting

Oct 05, 2009 by Timothy Dietzler

Please join me on Tuesday Oct 6th at 8 PM in the Italian Kitchen for a town hall meeting. I look forward to hearing your input and feedback regarding our program and services. Tim

I hope you are enjoying all we have to offer

Sep 04, 2009 by Timothy Dietzler

On behalf of the entire Villanova Dining Services Team, I wish you the best in the fall 2009 semester. You will interact more with Dining Services staff over the next 15 weeks than any other department on campus; we all look forward to serving you. Our staff takes great pride in providing you with many opportunities for great food; and warm, caring service. If there are suggestions or feedback you have for Dining Services, please connect with me. We are very excited with the newly renovated Dougherty Hall and our expanded ability to provide you with a wide variety of nutritious foods and vegetarian options. This year our menu focus for our resident dining halls is “Back to Basics”. We have developed menus featuring your favorite comfort foods, familiar fare and long time favorites. Our chefs intend to be very creative and offer full flavored specialties and ethnic cuisines at the “made to order” stations featured in each dining hall. So eat well, and be well. Best Regards, Tim

Dougherty Hall will undergo a dining room renovation this summer

Apr 24, 2009 by Timothy Dietzler

We are pleased to tell you that Dougherty Hall's dining room will be renovated this summer. One of the considerations of the renovation is deciding to have the Dougherty Hall ramp removed. This will give us excellent space to increase seating and dramatically improved the decor of the dining room.

We are asking for your assitance in helping us to make this decision - to ramp it up or ramp it down, so to speak. We will be conducting tests in Dougherty Hall for the remainder of the school year. We would like to have you enter and exit the dining room from the side doorways (currently the exits). We want to test out this idea. If it is decided to remove the ramp, the side doorways will become the new entrances and exists for the dining room.

We apologize for conducting this excercise so close to finals and thank you for your patience and cooperation.

Don't forget the End of Semester Celebration, Thursday April 30th. The dining halls open at 4:15 PM sharp! Featuring broiled Lobster Tail and Filet Mignon along with our spectacular dessert extravaganza. You've worked hard all semester and earned this special tribute meal, so don't miss it. Great food enjoyed with great friends makes for great memories.

Best Regards, Tim

Nutritious Food, Convenient Dining Locations, Extensive Dining Hours

Apr 08, 2009 by Timothy Dietzler

Wholesome food that nourishes the body is as important to fueling your successful student experience as your academic studies and social activities. Villanova Dining Services understands this and strives to provide nutritious food at convenient locations with hours of operations that meet your busy schedule.

There is a lot more going on in the nineteen dining operations on campus than the nationally recognized nutrition program, the award winning menus, and quality service provided by our caring staff. Villanova Dining Services’ socially responsible purchasing practices and focus on lessening our impact on the environment helps build community, while strengthening our relationships.

Thanks for visiting our web site, here you will be introduced to the services we offer, the many restaurants we operate on campus, and the special events we have planned through out the year.

The Villanova Dining Services team is committed to serving you and making your dining experience enjoyable. We know that friends that dine together, make lifetime memories together!

Best Regards, Tim

Villanova's Trayless Dining program Expanding

Dec 11, 2008 by Timothy Dietzler

This is an idea whose time has come. Anyone who enters a dining hall can now make a contribution toward sustainability. I expect that this will be just one of many such changes that all of us will be asked to embrace in all phases of our life as our society strives to make our world a greener, more sustainable place. Beyond the ‘green’ benefits of wasting less food is the opportunity for the University to offset rising food costs.[Read More]

Don't miss your End of Semester Celebration, Thursday Dec 11th

Dec 09, 2008 by Timothy Dietzler

The Dining Services Team is committed to making your dining experiences on campus, lifetime memories. The End of Semester Celebration is an event our staff truly loves creating for your dining pleasure. You have worked very hard over this past semester and you deserve to celebrate with friends while enjoying a great Villanova Tradition. On Thursday, December 11th we will celebrate our 75th bi-annual End of Semester Celebration. Our chefs have planned a fantastic meal featuring Grilled Filet Mignon and Flounder Stuffed with Crab Imperial. The spectacular dessert extravaganza will offer over two dozen desserts, a chocolate fondue bar, and Bananas Foster. You don't want to miss this. Come early before the Men's Basketball game. The dining halls open at 4:15 PM. The following Tuesday 12/16 and Wednesday 12/17, "Dine Out in Dougherty Hall" is back by popular demand. We offer a full service dining experience in Dougherty Hall featuring gourmet specials developed by our chefs. Potato Crusted Pacific Halibut, Hand Carved Roasted Prime Rib of Beef and Spaghetti Carbonara are some of the entrees our chefs are creating for you. Invite your friends to join you, we love parties of six or more. There's no better way to end your fall semester than enjoying the End of Semester Celebration and Dine Out in Dougherty. You will enjoy great food and create memories that will last a lifetime. Happy Holidays from all of us in Dining Services. It has been a pleasure serving you this semester. Best of luck in your final exams. Be safe and have a wonderful holiday break. Please send me your feedback on the End of Semester Dinner and Dine Out in Dougherty Hall. Tim Dietzler, Director of Dining Services contact: timothy.dietzler@villanova.edu

Welcome to the NEW Dining Services Blog-THE DISH!!!!!!

Aug 28, 2008 by Timothy Dietzler

We will be blogging about our new services, sustainability issues, special events and menus offered by our dining locations. The Dish provides a forum for our students and the University Community to provide me with feedback, ideas and critiques. Please let me know how you feel about our service, our menus, nutrition, our dining halls, special events and our website. I look forward to the exchange of information. Tim Dietzler Director of Dining Services

What is Acai?

Aug 11, 2008 by Michael Powers

Acai (pronounced (ah-sigh-EE ) is a fruit that grows on the Acai Palm Trees in the Amazon Rainforest of Brazil. The Acai berry is small in size (smaller than a grape) and is dark purple in color. Acai is mostly seed, covered in a small amount of pulp. In fact, about 90% of the Acai berry is seed - it is important to note that no one eats the Acai berry seed. The Acai Fruit[Read More]