We’ve all seen it: the “Williams Dining” logo all over Facebook and Instagram. If you haven’t already, I’m not sure what you’ve been doing all summer, but clearly you haven’t been on social media 99% of the time (like some of us have…). Ok, even if you forgot the clever logo, there’s no way you missed the free cookies they gave out last week.
Photo by Helena Lin
Maybe you’ve gotten Facebook invitations to like their page or participate in their dining competition. But, it turns out Williams Dining is a lot more than just a social media platform. It’s actually a genius idea.
Matt Luizzi, Lucas Keefer, and Andrew Marzo, all HC students, noticed that there was no summer meal plan option for people staying on campus for the summer. While ordering takeout from Fresh Way and taking trips to Miss Woo’s are always enticing options, these culinary adventures can be expensive, not to mention unhealthy.
Photo courtesy of flickr.com
So, you might say, this is obviously why students live in Williams Hall over the summer- so they can have a kitchen to cook fresh, healthy, delicious meals in on a daily basis. Yeah. Right. Let’s rewind and remind ourselves what we are dealing with here- hungry college students who probably just spent the day doing research in a hot lab.
Here’s where Luizzi, Keefer, and Marzo came up with Williams Dining. Why not set up a system where people could buy home cooked food from other people on campus? Sound confusing? Actually, it really is quite simple.
One (rather ambitious, or maybe just bored) student cooks up a meal and adds one extra portion to the recipe. This student then posts the recipe used online. Then, another (slightly less ambitious) student sees this post, texts the number posted and buys the extra meal portion.
Photo by Daniel Schuleman
Now for the burning question- how much does it cost? This is the cool part. While the cost is ultimately decided by the chef, the suggested price is a mere 5 bucks. Definitely less than the Panera trip you were planning on making. Thinking of being on the other side of the transaction? Chefs receive perks too, as they are paid even if their meal is not purchased.
Photo courtesy of giphy.com
So, if you’re still hanging out on the Hill this summer, be sure to like Williams Dining on Facebook and follow them on Instagram. Try this innovative idea out before it’s too late- sales end when school starts back up again.