A new bagel concept has arrived on campus for everyone to enjoy. Everything Bagels can now be purchased at Chat’s, Biscotti’s and from UNI Catering by the dozen. Flavors within the brand include plain, blueberry, honey wheat, cinnamon crunch and a daily specialty flavor.

The bagels are available from Monday to Friday at campus retail locations and on weekends if requested through UNI Catering. One bagel costs $1.39 and cream cheese is $0.99, both of which are made at UNI’s on-campus bakery, Fresh Beginnings. It is $13.65 to order a dozen from catering and $3.75 for an eight-ounce container of cream cheese.

“There’s a desire to have good bagel shop-quality bagels on campus,” said Director of Dining Services Janet Despard. “Bagels are kind of a universally well-liked item. Most people like bagels. Students especially like them all day long. They’re best in the morning right when they’re baked, but it’s something that’s a good item to grab; they’re portable and well-liked.”

Department of Residence Marketing Director Annie Karr said her favorite is the Asiago cheese bagel with plain cream cheese. Despard also cites Asiago cheese as her top flavor — although she believes the sweet bagels tend to be more popular — with garden vegetable cream cheese.

In determining what foods come next to UNI Dining Services, Despard said student feedback is taken largely into account. For example, they may try to incorporate more pork or plant-based dishes at the request of students. Dining center surveys also provide a source of direction. Once a month, the cooks will also do a new recipe test which may be used if it fares favorably.

“A lot of the recipe-testing comes from feedback from vendors as well,” Karr said. “This includes what’s trending or up-and-coming in the food industry. We attend shows and watch trade publications, trade press and webinars. We can get feedback from our current student population, but sometimes it takes a while for those items to come to fruition. You want to make sure that you can meet the needs of the next population of students that’s coming.”

In addition to the new bagels, Despard cited several new and upcoming changes to UNI Dining Services. Down the pipeline, they will not be having the 15-minute transitions between meals at the dining centers, allowing them to stay open consistently throughout the day. More variety is also being worked into the on-campus meals, as demonstrated by the quesadilla and slider bars. Experiments are also being done with authentic Indian curries and the smoker in Rialto.

Other improvements include the cereal bar in Piazza that was organized over break and the inclusion of personal pizzas at Avanti. Karr also highlighted the mobile app GET allowing students to order food ahead of time and pick it up. Special promotions are also available through this app.

“Last week was the first week back from winter break, and it was a busy week for bagel sales,” Despard said. “A couple of days, we ran out in some locations. We’ve increased the amount so we’re ready this week; they’ve turned out to be very popular. We can meet the demand, but definitely get there early if you want to get a specific variety.”