In MU’s first years, residence halls weren’t even a facet of university life — much less cafeterias.
Rather, students were left to fend for themselves when it came to residence and board, oftentimes landing in the homes of local townspeople. This prompted the Board of Curators to tell these townspeople in 1867 that, though the food served should be substantial, it should come without luxuries and at a moderate price.
And as a result, dining services on campus were born. It wouldn’t be for another 120 years that the services on campus today — now named Campus Dining Services — would see the light of day.
Throughout the month of January, CDS is celebrating its 25th anniversary and taking a trip down memory lane at the same time.
**Pre-World War II: The beginning**
MU recognized the need for more housing as the university grew, and it satiated that need in 1868. As a result, the first “boarding clubs” were constructed.
Housing 12 men in each club for a $4 entrance fee, residents were then required to pay an additional $1.50 per week for groceries. They were initially responsible for the preparation of meals, but after several years the university hired servants to do both the cooking and shopping for food.
The number of women attending MU was very low at the time and thus the university didn’t create residences for them until 1903. By that time, there were already two residences for men. One women’s and one men’s residence housed a kitchen and dining room for the inhabitants.
A free-standing cafeteria was built on the corner of Conley and Ninth streets in 1923, and it operated until 1935 when it became a library annex. When the cafeteria was built, MU suspended all male residences. Men were sent to live in either fraternity chapter houses, the YMCA, the Knights of Columbus of Missouri or elsewhere — and were left to feed themselves. It wasn’t until the 1940s and especially after World War II that enrollment began to surge and the need for male housing was reintroduced.
**Post-World War II:**
After World War II, MU’s enrollment grew from 1,500 in 1943 to 11,452 by 1947. This set in motion a continued pattern of enrollment growth that continues until today, and it has resulted in numerous changes for dining services on campus.
By 1950, residents could eat at either Crowder or Johnston dining halls. At the time, it cost students $40 per month for a 20-meal-per-week plan. Crowder was closed in 1959 when Pershing Dining Hall opened.
During the next 30 years, residential and retail dining options increased vastly. Susan Dayton began her 28-year career with campus dining in 1983 and has seen this transition firsthand.
“I started managing at Loeb, which doesn’t exist anymore,” she said. “Then I moved to Dobbs. I went from the smallest dining hall on campus to the largest. It was quite a lot different and a big change for me.”
MU continued to grow, and students began to demand more selections, healthier choices, faster service and a bigger voice in what they were served. By January 1987, Campus Dining Services was established as a department, and it sought to answer those demands.
**Campus Dining Services: The past 25 years**
When CDS began, it operated six residential dining halls and 10 retail locations. Previous to the establishment, Dining Services in Residential Life operated the residential dining locations, and individual contractors operated retail locations.
“Food has been around since the university was founded,” CDS Director Julaine Kiehn said. “But in November 1986, the contractor operating the retail locations notified the university that it would be leaving at the end of the fall semester. The vice chancellor decided that if he combined the retail operations with the residential operations, then it might create a more efficient and effective organization.”
Dayton said this was far from an easy transition.
“We very naively went into the process thinking, ‘We (residential dining) do food, they (retail dining) do food. We should all be able to deal,’” she said. “Then we had some of those reality checks. It was a big learning curve. We both feed students, but we do it in different ways.”
This led to the creation of new positions within the department, filled by people who better knew the retail side of dining.
Perhaps one of the biggest changes during the past 25 years, Kiehn said, has been the expansion of the menus.
“All of the residential dining facilities used to have the same menu,” she said. “Every day, every meal.”
Within the past 10 years, the construction and opening of Plaza 900 has been one of CDS’ brightest moments.
“It broke the mold on residential dining, for us,” Kiehn said. “It created its own brand and really took off. Faculty, staff and students all feel comfortable at Plaza 900.”
Dayton said the brand of CDS is something she has seen flourish over the years. Bottles of CDS’ recipes, such as the Shack Sauce, are now for sale across campus.
“People are actually buying this stuff,” she said. “That’s kind of cool. It’s looking at how the reputation of Campus Dining Services has evolved, and that people have a positive experience and outlook of what is happening.”
During the past few years, new dining locations’ menus have become much more focused. Locations such as Baja Grill, the MU Student Center’s several restaurants and the newly opened Sabai all offer food options catering to a specific niche.
“I think this is a trend in higher education food service,” CDS Marketing Manager Michael Wuest said. “Especially when students have dining plans, they like to see that variety.”
Kiehn said that though these residential dining locations might not offer as wide of a menu as the all-you-care-to-eat residential dining locations such as Plaza 900 and Rollins, they offer foods that students want.
“Variety doesn’t just mean more,” she said. “It means more of what students like.”
That mantra – “what students like” – is a driving force as CDS looks to the future.
**Looking to the future**
Wuest and Kiehn were both excited for CDS’ future, ensuring it would continue on its mission of customer satisfaction.
For instance, Kiehn questioned the possibility of online ordering for locations such as DoMundo’s in the MU Student Center.
“It’s on the radar,” Wuest said.
Several renovations to existing facilities are in the definite future. Mark Twain Market is undergoing a renovation, as is Sabai. Pershing Hall, which houses Mizzou Market on Hitt Street, will close March 24 for renovations.
Dayton said she enjoys watching CDS adapt to new waves of students coming through the university.
“It’s been cool to watch the response to students’ changing needs,” she said. “When I started, we didn’t worry too much about students’ allergies. Now, that’s something you have to focus on.”
In response, CDS created Zoutrition this year, a website where students can check the menus for nutritional needs and possible allergens. Dayton said this is just the beginning.
“We’re not there yet,” she said. “We’ve started, but there is still so far we can go.”
As for what CDS will be able to report on its 30th birthday, Wuest said it is ultimately up to the students to decide.
“The future really depends on what students want,” he said. “If our customers suggest something they want, then we’re going to explore that.”