5 coronavirus things: Georgia State closes Perimeter campus dining halls for rest of fall

In this special edition of 5 Things, Food Management highlights five things you may have missed recently about developments regarding coronavirus and its impact on onsite dining.

Here’s your list for today:

Georgia State University has closed the dining halls at its five Perimeter College campuses for the remainder of the fall 2020 semester due to a decrease in face-to-face classes and on-campus activities that led a considerable decline in business. Two of the three dining halls at the main downtown Atlanta campus remain open and Perimeter students can use their PantherCash accounts to get 20% discounts on meal purchases there.

Read more: Perimeter students can no longer dine on campus

The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) has opened 25% of available seating in its The Eatery at Market Central, The Perch, Einstein Bros. Bagels in Benedum and Posvar, Schenley Cafe, Cathedral Cafe and the Petersen Events Center Food Court after the university shifted to its Guarded Risk posture, the lowest of its three-tiered reopening system. The Guarded Risk level allows most classes to be in person and some shared spaces opened.

Under the previously implemented middle Elevated Risk posture, these locations didn’t have open seating and students had to take out food from the dining halls and either eat it outdoors or in their residence halls.

Related:5 things: CDC’s expanded “close contact” definition could impact schools

Read more: Pitt opens 25% of seating in dining locations

A program called Fishermen Feeding Mainers is bringing fresh, locally caught fish to schools in Maine. It started with a grant from an anonymous donor to help the state’s fishermen make money during the COVID pandemic’s curtailment of the industry’s regular restaurant business by having the product delivered to schools. A single boat can bring back up to 12,000 pounds per trip, which is then sent to a processor and from there to school customers.

Read more: With help from an anonymous donor, fresh Maine fish is being distributed to schools across the state

Michigan State University has announced that it plans a partial reopening of residence halls and in-person classes for the spring 2021 semester, including the availability of 2,500 additional dorm rooms to students. The semester will go from Jan. 11 to April 23, 2021 with no spring break.

Read more: Michigan State to double dorm occupancy, cancel spring break

Related:Hospital’s curbside meal program adds retail dining business

This analysis of the office market in Chicago makes a case for expanding office locations in suburban districts as opposed to the traditional inner city/downtown locations. For the business dining community hit hard by physical office closures and a vast increase in remote work, any signs of activity in the in-person office market is a positive, and the article makes a case for onsite cafes and lounges serving as collaboration and socialization spaces among colleagues. In fact, given that suburbs tend to have fewer external dining outlets, onsite cafes in such locations may be able to draw more in-house business than they can in a traditional downtown location where it is often surrounded by commercial restaurants for employees to patronize.

Read more: The socially activated destination workplace is making its way to the suburbs

Bonus: Kiosks serve al fresco dining at New Britain Schools

Contact Mike Buzalka at [email protected]