Despite the fact that most Wellesley students eat AVI Fresh every day, it is rare for students to interact with AVI beyond a few chats with dining hall staff. Most don’t even realize that with just a text, they could make an impact on the way AVI Fresh operates, whether it be through food suggestions, compliments for staff or ways to improve the dining experience for all.

Julie Jordan, resident director for Wellesley Fresh at Wellesley College, oversees the culinary program on campus. She is passionate about providing high quality food to students, but like most, Jordan can’t always get students’ direct feedback on how things are operating with AVI Fresh day-to-day. She therefore encourages students to use the Text the Manager (TTM) feature of Wellesley Fresh: if you text (781) 531-9113 about anything dining-related, you can give your direct thoughts on staff, food and anything else you want to mention about dining. Jordan says this can do more than just change the occasional food item.

“Positive feedback, in particular, can lead to special acknowledgments, like shout-outs during team huddles or rewards such as a coffee card for specialty drinks at retail locations,” she explained. 

Jordan also says that the TTM texts can help with quick responses and long-term changes in the dining halls. For example, if a dining hall runs out of something, texting the manager can inform the dining staff so they can quickly replace it. Or, if something is overcooked or undercooked, they can quickly inform the dining hall worker so they can correct it in real time. But it’s not just quick things you can text about: Jordan encourages students to send in their favorite dishes or features, which helps the managers know what is in high demand and should be made more. 

“Our dining team is committed to creating a dining experience that students love and feel proud of,” Jordan said and explained that she hopes more students will text in the future so the dining staff can continue to improve. 

But while Jordan and the Wellesley Fresh team rely on texts for most student feedback, quite a few students aren’t familiar with TTM. When reaching out to students in the Wellesley community, most did not know what AVI Fresh texts are and instead shared their thoughts on AVI Fresh overall.

“I have no idea [about the texts], but in regards to food, I like it, it’s decent and sometimes the food is really good. However, the online menus can be inaccurate,” Keza Ineza ’28 responded when asked about her feelings on AVI Fresh texts. “I don’t really use it, as I’m not a picky eater, and will eat whatever I think is good at the dining hall, but sometimes when I do use it, it’s inaccurate, sometimes for times and sometimes for the food.” The issue of the online menus being inaccurate appears to be a concern for other students as well.

“For the most part, the menus are accurate, however, they can and do change without warning which can sometimes be a bummer if it was something you were looking forward to,” said Elisha Andrews ‘28,, who also was unaware of AVI Fresh texts, shared. “Overall, I enjoy AVI Fresh and especially love the dining hall staff. They’re all so kind and work to create and distribute food to us students.”

However, other students know about AVI Fresh and are fans of the texting program. Julia Reste ’27 says that she started using TTM back in her first year, and that she saw results from her feedback. 

“The reason I text the manager is because I really like giving them feedback and getting their perspective,” she explained. 

She said that she has texted them a few times, from asking about a strange taste in the water to getting an early notification about Applepalooza when she asked for it. Also, when Reste asked them to make feijoada — a Brazilian dish that reminded her of home — after Wellesley Fresh had made it earlier in the year, they brought it back to Stone Davis and have had it consistently since then. 

As Jordan told us, “When you share which dishes you enjoy and mention team members who made your day, it helps us recognize their hard work and make meaningful improvements to our program.”

Students’ everyday interactions with the dining hall staff seem to be a common highlight of the current AVI Fresh experience at Wellesley. They not only provide the food and nutrients we need but also spaces for collaboration, understanding and connection. Their constant presence encourages students to embrace and sustain the community aspect of Wellesley.

“I think we are super lucky to have access to nutritious food and water … The dining hall workers are also super nice and sweet. Talking with them makes my day!” Ineza commented.

Image credit: Wellesley College

Contact the editors responsible for this story: Phoebe Rebhorn and Diya Khanna