Denison Dining street team gives free food to students

Every college student loves free food and the dining committee has noticed. The Denison Dining street team has begun handing out delicious eatables all over campus. The street team is essentially a pop-up food stall, which aims to strengthen the relationship between students and dining staff. Bon Appetit is working to improve their quality of food this semester and hopes that through these regular pop-ups they can be more attentive to the needs of students.

The street team is comprised of Denison students Taylor Shook ‘20, Liz Anastasiadis ‘21, Lily Gross ‘19 and Josi Miller ‘20, who get together and brainstorm ideas for what kind of food they should serve each week. In the past, they have given out free donuts, coffee and even hand-delivered ice cream on a bike-trike. The ice cream bike-trike was particularly applauded for its creativity, where a student riding a bicycle connected to a cooler handed free ice cream out on East Quad.

“It always lifts my spirits everytime I see free food stalls on campus, especially on days when I have limited time to eat before my next class,” said Sarina Balraj ‘20, a psychology major from Columbus, Ohio.

Recent pop ups by the street team include a hot chocolate stall on Oct. 22 and a caramel apple stall on Oct. 26, both of which took place outside the library. The hot chocolate stall was a delicious beverage to escape the biting cold and make Monday morning a little more bearable. The caramel apple stand was complete with delicious topping like chocolate chips, rainbow sprinkles, graham crackers, marshmallows, pretzels, shredded coconut etc. so students could add a little more sweetness to their dessert.  

They also deliver to football and soccer games. They used a slingshot to shoot football t-shirts into the crowd, which were sponsored by Denison Dining. During midterm mayhem, Lily Gross and Liz Anastasiadis circled around the library and pushed a cart full of granola bars, water and other energizing snacks. Needless to say, having a full stomach gave students one less reason to be stressed during midterms.  

“The street team helps bridge the gap between Denison Dining and students by presenting more food options and creating an avenue for honest feedback” Lily Gross said on her experiences working with Dining.

Denison dining’s mission is to broaden their outreach on campus, and they always welcome student feedback. Students are encouraged to keep an eye out for their pop ups, and take a small break to indulge in their delicious snacks.