Starting this semester, all University of Maryland dining halls will feature a specials menu that changes weekly.
The program, Terrapin Favorites, will feature specials ranging from chicken tenders to a chili cook-off night, which took place Feb. 8. The options will be available on weekdays and will add one or two dishes to the dining halls’ current options.
“We’re hoping to add back to the menu [items] that have fallen off the menu that we found students really miss or that students really want,” Dining Services spokesman Bart Hipple said.
Students can find out what’s being served by looking at the table tents in the dining halls, as well as on the Dining Services Twitter and Facebook. A poster at the front of each dining hall will change each week to reflect the current choices.
Specials will sometimes be centered on a theme, such as March Madness or Taste of the South. The latter will take place Feb. 22, Hipple said. Taste of the South will be more of a “dining hall takeover,” with each station serving different southern-themed cuisine, he added.
Samaira Stewart, a freshman enrolled in letters and sciences, likes the idea of having specials because “it’s a nice mix, considering sometimes the stuff in the dining hall does get old.”
Tyler Andrews, a freshman computer science major, said he thinks specials are a good thing, but he would like it if the options were always available.
“It would be nice if they could increase the caliber so that these are the regular offerings instead of specials,” Andrews said.
Unlike the normal Dining Services menu, where each dining hall’s menu differs, all specials will be the same in each dining hall, although each dining hall may not serve every special listed. Specials are served until they run out, and while some meals will repeat more often, others may only be featured monthly or once per semester.
These options will not be available all day, and students can find the start time of each special online or on social media.
