Video by Edward Djan
Multimedia by DeAndra Asapokhai
By Thea Gribilas
Ryerson students have fewer on-campus food options this year due to COVID-19.
Ryerson Eats, Ryerson’s exclusive on-campus food vendor, scaled down their operations in March in response to the closures on-campus that came with the pandemic.
The only Ryerson Eats location that still remains open is in Pitman dining hall and to meet public health guidelines they have shifted to a take-out only model.
“COVID-19 has required us to incur additional costs related to our health and safety protocols. This includes purchasing PPE for staff, installing shields and barriers at all food stations, and providing enhanced health and safety training for staff,” said Ryerson Eats in a statement.
Despite the closures, Ryerson students say that food options that are available at Pitman haven’t changed all that much.
“They’re able to provide different types of food that can make you agile,” said Ebuka Okoye, a second-year public health student.
Experts say the pandemic has forced the hospitality industry to evolve
“You’re going to see people who see an opportunity to change,” said Tommy McHugh, Executive Chef at Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. “I want to be a part of that change.”
“This is where I see things going, let’s not fight it, let’s embrace it, let’s run with this and they’re going to be extremely successful,” said McHugh.
Story continues below interactive
On March 13, Ryerson announced that all class would move to online formats in response to the pandemic. This fall Ryerson made the decision to accept students at a very limited capacity on residence. Ryerson has not announced when they are looking to reopen the school to full capacity.
Leave a Reply