What’s new this fall at campus dining? Mobile ordering, song requests, and a hydroponic garden

A student uses Northeastern DIning’s new app during breakfast in the Stetson East dining hall on September 26, 2018. Photo by Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University

In a hurry at the Curry Student Center food court, Starbucks, and other dining locations on campus? Don’t worry: mobile ordering is here.  

Diners can now place orders while on-the-go through the Boost app, which can be downloaded via iTunes or the Google Play store, and prepay with a credit card, Dining Dollars, or Husky Dollars. Here are the locations on the Boston campus where mobile ordering is now available:

  •      Sweet Tomatoes, Za’tar, UBurger, Kigo Kitchen, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, and Starbucks at the Curry Student Center
  •      Argo Tea at Snell Library
  •      Subway at Ryder Hall
  •      café716 at Columbus Place

Students will notice a few other changes this semester at dining locations on the Boston campus. At Levine Marketplace and Stetson West Eatery, diners can now select the songs that play over the speakers. Using the Rockbot app, users can see what music is playing and request songs from the music library right from their smartphones. This service is coming soon to International Village, as well.

In the International Village dining hall, the menu will include basil, cilantro, mint, and cherry tomatoes grown on a new hydroponic garden wall. The wall, which will measure 7 feet high by 8 feet wide, will be installed this semester.

Members of the Northeastern community populate the dining area in the Curry Student Center on September 26, 2018. Photo by Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University

A section of Stetson West will soon be turning into a “food hall,” a curated collection of artisanal and niche food concepts. The stations that traditionally served food such as pizza, deli, or stir-fry will soon be offering a greater variety of cuisines such as Korean street food, pho noodles, and meatballs.

Northeastern Dining is also expanding a program that provides free classes for students to learn the basics about food and cooking. The “Teaching Kitchen” will be held at least once a month; the first class was Thursday night, and the next one is Oct. 17. Each class hosts between 12 to 15 students, all of whom will have their own cooking stations. Last year, classes included workshops on knife skills and basic taste sensations.

Northeastern has also begun a new program, called Swipe2Care, which allows full-time undergraduate students to donate meals to their peers. Students log into myNortheastern and go to “Husky Card Preferences” to donate unused meals from their plans. Other students can then anonymously request that one of those donated meals be added to their Husky Cards.