Now that the semester is a few weeks in, students have had the chance to indulge in the all-you-care-to-eat format of UCCS’ dining halls. Students have quickly taken to Snapchat stories to complain about low-quality and undercooked food.  

As a spot check for dining hall performance, we talked with five freshmen about their lunches at the Roaring Fork on Monday afternoon.  

Henry Germain (he/him), freshman business major 

What did you have for lunch today? 

It was the West-African chicken stew.  

How would you rate your lunch on a scale of one through 10? 

For this place, I’d give it an eight. In general, it probably drops down to seven.  

What was the best part of your lunch? 

I had two ice creams. But … the chicken came right off the bone. That was actually probably the best part. It was pink, but I don’t think it was raw.  

What was the worst part of your lunch? 

I accidentally bit down on a bone pretty hard. My tooth is OK.  

What could make your dining experience better? 

More fresh fruit and vegetables. They’re solid on the entrees, just need fresh sides and all that. 

Alecko Kostopoulos (he/him), freshman business major 

What did you have for lunch today? 

I had rice, triangle bread, sauce and then just chicken. I don’t know what kind of sauce it was. It was just whatever they had.  

How would you rate your lunch on a scale of one through 10? 

It was like a solid eight. I think it was good. It was chill, so I liked it. I didn’t have breakfast, though, so I’m biased and ranking it higher. 

What was the best part of your lunch? 

Definitely the rice. I like rice. It’s good.  

What was the worst part of your lunch? 

The water machine upstairs wasn’t working, that was the worst part. That’s preventing it from getting rated any higher.  

What could make your dining experience better? 

Fix the water thing, you know? 

Hunter Manuelito-Gonzalez (he/him), freshman undecided  

What did you have for lunch today? 

West-African chicken stew with brown rice.  

How would you rate your lunch on a scale of one through 10? 

Like a seven out of 10.  

What was the best part of your lunch? 

The chicken was the best part.  

What was the worst part of your lunch? 

I guess the rice — it was just a little less good than the chicken and the carrots.  

What could make your dining experience better? 

I wouldn’t really change anything.  

Keison Morales (he/him), freshman computer science major 

What did you have for lunch today? 

I had some beef, asparagus, hotdogs and some yogurt.  

How would you rate your lunch on a scale of one through 10? 

I would rate it a six out of 10. 

What was the best part of your lunch? 

Probably the beef.  

What was the worst part of your lunch? 

Probably the hot dogs.  

What could make your dining experience better? 

More food accessibility, like higher quantity.  

Anna Harmon (she/her), freshman psychology and criminal justice dual major  

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What did you have for lunch today? 

I had a hot dog, pineapple [and] cucumbers.  

How would you rate your lunch on a scale of one through 10? 

Eight. 

What was the best part of your lunch? 

The ice cream.  

What was the worst part of your lunch? 

They don’t have very many gluten-free options.  

What could make your dining experience better? 

More gluten-free options.

From left: Alecko Kostopoulos, Henry Germain, Hunter Manuelito-Gonzalez, Anna Harmon and Keison Morales. Photos by Josiah Dolan.