Allen Community College recently hired a new food service provider after its contract with Chartwells expired. The new food service provider for the cafeteria is Great Western Dining and its staffers are working to improve quality and selection to benefit the Allen students and faculty, as well as guests dining at the college.

Cindy Stanberry has recently been hired as the manager and started working Feb. 1. She previously worked at Wayne County Elementary School in North Carolina.

Some of Stanberry’s duties as manager include making sure her employees follow the menu, overseeing the conformity to guidelines in the kitchen and in the cafeteria, and signing paperwork. According to Stanberry, she plans to improve the service and food quality for the college’s cafeteria. She also has stated that Great Western’s food quality and service is compared to a “high-end restaurant.”

“Great Western Dining is top-notch,” Stanberry said. “They go above and beyond as far as their service and food. The quality of their food is at the top.”

Stanberry also stated that one of the challenges of being manager is meeting all the needs of everyone that come to the cafeteria to eat. For example, students will most likely go for burgers and fries while the adults will most likely go for a healthier alternative, like the salad bar.

“Great Western does a great job of attesting to the needs of all demographics,” Stanberry said.

In addition, Great Western also has special events such as Steak Night and an ice-cream bar for students to enjoy. They plan on thinking of more special events for the students in the future.

Reviews from students that go to the cafeteria have been positive, with many noting the improvement of the quality of food and service.

“I think it is an improvement over what it was compared to last semester,” Gonzalo Avila-Castro said. “There are a lot more options and the food quality is better. I also like how they fixed the soda machine and added the orange and apple juice so you can drink it any time of the day.”

Stanberry hopes to ensure the quality and excellence of the food and cafeteria for years to come at Allen. She adds that her favorite part of the job is working with the people around her on a day-to-day basis.

“The students, staff, and workers are very nice and friendly,” Stanberry said. “I am new to Kansas and the people have been very open and friendly with me, and I like that.”