The Wolfpack To Go and Pack&Go services allow students who are in a rush to bring food back to their dorms and all throughout campus. The two services are different, yet have the similar end goal of providing students an alternative choice to dining
According to the NC State Dining website, Pack&Go is an option at all campus dining halls. With this service, students can store food from the buffet directly into a plastic container they can take with them throughout campus.
Keith Smith, the director of board operations and sustainability, expanded on the Pack&Go service in the dining halls.
“The students pay a onetime fee of $3.50 for the reusable container and bring the dirty container back when they’re done to either pick up a new container or get a wooden token to save until the next time the student comes back to get a new container,” Smith said. “We like to clean the container here because we know that when we put it through our machines they’re not only clean but sanitized which makes it safe for everybody.”
According to Smith, the Pack&Go containers were originally intended to be temporary but ended up being permanent because of its usefulness to students.
“We originally didn’t use the to-go containers,” Smith said. “When we renovated the student center, this service was put in place to provide for the students that were eating here in dining halls because of the increase of students in the dining halls. They were allowed to take it back to their room and we just kept it going since then.”
Students are able to choose from the variety provided in the dining halls that they might not see elsewhere, Smith stated.
“For us, the reason we let the Pack&Go containers in the dining halls is because you can get a lot of healthy options here, not that you can’t get them at any other locations, but this really allows students to be able to get salad and fruits that you can’t get in other locations,” Smith said. “It allows the students to have the freedom to come in and get what they’d like, and also allows them to eat healthier too.”
Another option for students is Wolfpack To Go, a plethora of packaged foods students can grab without any wait time. This service is most commonly found in The Atrium, as mentioned on the Campus Enterprises website.
Kitty Lewis, the director of retail operations, explained the benefits of the Wolfpack To Go line offered in the Atrium.
“The Atrium food court is so busy and we felt like we needed to set up “grab n go” items that students can pick up in between classes if they were in a rush,” Lewis said. “Most other things in the Atrium take a few minutes to make so we thought having items that were convenient for students to take was a good option.”
According to Lewis, not only does Wolfpack To Go offer food on the go, but the packaging allows more specialized foods for students who have dietary restrictions.
“They were able to offer some of the things they can’t offer on the service lines such as gluten free foods,” Lewis said. “We’re looking for more gluten free items which have to be specially handled and individually wrapped which the Wolfpack To Go area helps us do.”
The food is ordered from the U.S. Foods distributor, packaged by the Atrium employees and is priced according to the portion size, packaging, and what the item is, Lewis stated. There are other similar services offered on campus, but they are prepackaged by separate companies.
To Lewis, the benefits of this service are clear and will continue as long as the Atrium is open, as anywhere from 300 to 350 Wolfpack To Go products are picked up daily at the Atrium.
“I’ve seen the Atrium grow a lot and to me it’s a benefit to the students, especially if they are in a really big hurry,” Lewis said. “The menus and packaging can change but we’ll always have Wolfpack To Go at the Atrium.”