"They're Serving Chips in Paper Cones!" - The Opinion of the Students of NUI Galway

Published in Sin Newspaper on 26 September 2011



The quality of food in the canteen has dropped, according to students’ reports, without a corresponding drop in price.

Bizzarely, the canteen has started putting chips into paper cones, putting the paper cone on a plate, and handing the plate to students, with a fork. So what do the students think of the quality of the canteen food? “I asked for salmon, and I got salmonella,” one student joked when asked his opinion on the food. When I say “joked”, I mean “lied outright” (he didn’t actually get salmonella). All jokes aside, the quality of the food in the canteen is a serious matter to the students who are buying their lunches there. I asked a few canteen regulars – and a few who choose not to eat there due to overpriced food – their opinion on the drop in the food quality, and here’s what I found:

“[The food] is alright, but it’s kind of expensive for what you’re getting. Plus, they really should have a loyalty card! But I haven’t noticed any change in the quality, really.” – Darren Conneely, 2nd year Arts.
“I agree [with Darren], it is quite expensive considering it’s a student canteen!” – Oryana Farrell, 2nd year Arts.

“I think the quality of the food is definitely as bad as it was. Last year it was so bad that my friends and I stopped eating there. They gave us all surveys asking what they could do to improve the food – feedback forms, but they didn’t really change anything, or take any of the feedback on board. All they did was do up the Bialann a bit, and they tried to trick us into thinking that the food is a bit better than it was, but they haven’t changed anything. I think the price has gone up. It’s now seven euro for Spaghetti Bolognese. In the college bar you would get a full, proper dinner for that price, which would keep you going for the day.” – Katie Finnegan, MA Journalism student.

So what’s the solution to this? According to the Bialann website, “We value your comments!” so feel free to send in a feedback form to the canteen, by going to http://www.campusdish.com/en-US/HE-IE/NUIG/AnBhialannRestaurant/

Alternatively we can take a leaf out of the book of the students of 1982, who held a catering boycott of the restaurant. Terms included a freeze on prices, and an 8% increase in the size of chip portions.

A Swanky New Layout Without the Swanky New Food?

2 Oct 2011

by Jessica Thompson