“We are aware of the students’ complaints, which are valid,” NYU said in an online statement. “This is an unprecedented operation for us and our food vendor, Chartwells.”
There are 2,600 students quarantining in dormitories, according to the school.
Already missing home cooked meals
Ricardo Sheler, 17, is a newcomer to Washington DC who experiences many firsts, including eating less than stellar campus food.
“They say you will miss home-cooked meals,” he told CNN.
Sheler said he only has one laundry in his bedroom, so cooking food itself is not an option. Friday is only his second full day of his quarantine.
Chicken Caesar salad is what was delivered to Sheler and initially he said that his mother, who helped him move in, was excited to see a healthy meal for him. They took him to dinner so he put the flour in his fridge and stored it for the next day.
“I take my dinner out of the fridge the next morning, pop it open on my bed and then it’s just like chips, an apple, vinaigrette and butter,” he said. “I thought, ‘Did I select some foreign accommodation?’ But then I realized that no accommodation makes sense to only get chips, an apple and vinaigrette. ”
“It’s essential to get it right, and we’m disappointed in Chartwells’ management of the quarantine meal process,” the NYU online statement said. “We and Chartwells are correcting the situation immediately.”
Meredith Rosenberg, a spokeswoman for Chartwells, told CNN in a statement that there was no excuse for what happened.
“These students are already in a less-than-ideal situation and we feel horrible that their meals were not delivered as expected, or that they were given incorrect meals, portions of meals, or meals that were not appetizing.”
With nowhere to go but one to watch, Sheler said “food is kind of like the one factor that makes your day feel like he’s made a move on it instead of just sitting in your room.”
Danielle Gould, 19, a returning sophomore from Los Angeles, California, said since living in the bedroom last year, she has been doing some shopping for her quarantine. Friday marks her third day in her dorm.
“I can not even imagine that the first-year-old, then-eyed is coming to NYC for the first time, her parents drop her off and they are stuck with it,” she said. “It just really sucks when you’re with yourself and you’re looking forward to food and then it’s a cookie and salt and pepper and balsamic vinaigrette.”
Gould said she understands that both students and the university invent things in these unusual times, but she wishes there was more time for communication so students could prepare by buying groceries.
Dietary restrictions and a lack of calories
The lack of whole meals is only one part of the problem.
Dorothy Akpovwa, 19, fled Georgia and has been quarantined for three days.
She told CNN on her first day in the bedroom that she got all three of her meals, but the next day she did not get food until 10 p.m.
One of the meals she received was a watermelon-cucumber chicken salad – a mix she quickly took to Twitter to express her disappointment.
She told CNN sometimes the meals do not meet the suggested total calorie intake for a day, which she finds worrying.
Chartwells has added additional staff members and shifts to make changes to prevent this from happening again, according to Rosenberg.
“Although we made plans and prepared for this, we missed the mark, and we intend to repair this immediately and deliver the dining experience that the students, NYU, and ourselves expect,” she said.
On Thursday, the school said each affected student would receive a $ 100 e-gift card to spend on food delivery, according to a school statement sent to CNN.
But still, no one should expect smooth sailing.
Sheler said his resident assistant felt bad about Shinger’s dining experiences, so he ordered food for him for an ordering service. It took more than two hours to arrive.
“They have to deliver it to our door and it just never came,” he said. “I went down to check twice within two hours and they had just lost it, I think. My dorm manager was frustrated that he went out and ordered it again.”
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