The Highs and Lows of Millikin’s Caf

The Millikin Caf

Millikin’s cafeteria is a place that nearly every student has a love-hate relationship with. Many students love the atmosphere that the Caf provides, but many do not prefer the food that is offered, especially after freshman year, when students can make their own food in an apartment.

Sometimes, the food is excellent (usually when potential students are visiting campus), but it does get quite repetitive when eating there every single day.

In my first two years on campus, the Caf was an extremely mundane experience, as I would get a cheeseburger with fries nearly every time I ate there. However, in the last year or two, the Caf has made some major improvements and changes to the menu. Senior Julio Cesar Hernandez Lopez realizes this. “My freshman year, I remember it was really good. Then it went a little down the following two years. But I think this year and last year, they picked it back up again,” he says.

Packed in during these down years of the Caf were some questionable serving decisions that Hernandez Lopez brought to the attention of the staff. “I remember for the two bad years, they had the stir fry nights on Wednesdays, and nobody was a fan of that. So, I took the initiative and I approached the workers and I was like, ‘hey, why do we have this is nobody likes it,’ and the next week, they got rid of it. Since that day, we haven’t seen a stir fry night, so that’s a change for the good,” he says.

Seeing that the Caf was able to take criticism and change the menu was a very welcome sight for students, and Hernandez Lopez in particular. The Caf is the only place where students can get a meal plan to eat, so ensuring that they are happy with the food being served is extremely important. “It feels like we, the students, have an opinion and a voice and we are heard,” Hernandez Lopez says. “That’s a pretty good example that the opinion of the students was heard and they took action. I also know that Chef likes to get suggestions from students.”

These suggestions could be as small as changing stir fry nights, or could even be something as unique as preparing food in a traditional way for international students to enjoy a taste of home when they are at school. “If they want a food or dish that is from their home country, Chef is very open to cook these dishes, the way that they are in the country that the student is from. I like that.”

Hernandez Lopez is a student-athlete, and he believes that the Caf provides lots of opportunities for athletes to stay hydrated and well-fed during their competitive seasons. When asked what his favorite thing to eat from the Caf was, he actually responded with his drink of choice first. “Definitely Gatorade,” he says. “Also, Mt. Dew, maybe twice a year, when I’m completely off. But I really love the meatloaf. Throughout the years, it’s been consistently good.” However, he was not able to settle on just one favorite food. “I really love when they have lasagna, which is not very often. Same with meatloaf, but I guess that’s what makes it special. Those two are my favorite, but a special mention to Sunday chicken nugget nights.”

Although he has favorite foods, he has not tried a Caf dessert favorite, the ice cream. “I’m afraid I might become addicted to it, and I won't stop. I’m trying to stay far away from it,” he says.

Regardless of how the food may be at times, the Caf is a great place to create and foster friendships around the lunch table. “It’s a great place to bond and make friends and spend the hours,” he says. “It’s a nice place for me to bond with the track team. There’s a lot of jokes. I love the social aspect of it.”