With 99 faculty members, 1,600 full-time undergraduate students, 160 part time undergraduates, and 120 graduate students, LVC is one of the largest colleges served by Metz & Associates, Ltd.

“We are excited for this wonderful opportunity to work with such a renowned academic organization,” said James Dickson, divisional vice president, Higher Education and Corporate Dining Division, Metz & Associates, Ltd. “It is our goal to form a strong partnership that will enable us to best meet the needs of the College and the students.”

According to Dickson, a major focus of the Metz partnership with LVC will be on fresh food and sustainability. This will include preparing many products from scratch; including fresh dough pizza and other baked goods. “Nearby Lancaster County is an important agricultural area of Pennsylvania, giving us easy access to an array of fresh, seasonal produce and other locally-made products,” Dickson said. “As a member of PA Preferred, we focus on supporting local farmers and utilizing locally-grown and produced products when feasible.”

The Metz team introduced several branded dining concepts to students at LVC when they assumed food service responsibilities this month, including J. Clark’s Grille, Villa Toscana, Market Street Deli, the Bravo display cooking station, and Poblano’s, a new Southwest-style food station that has become very popular with students in many of the colleges and universities served by Metz & Associates.

The look and functionality of the dining areas at LVC also have been freshened up with new signage and digital menu boards. “The College is embarking on a multi-million dollar renovation project, which will feature a major transformation of the student center and dining complex,” Dickson said. “This extensive project will allow for many improvements to the dining program, including the expansion of services and dining options.”

The Metz team also will introduce many on-campus promotions, such as the Ultimate Campus Chef Competition, based on Bravo’s hit TV show, Top Chef; March Madness, which ties dining promotions to the popular NCAA basketball tournament; and National Nutrition Month, which focus on many nutrition-related topics of interest to the college crowd, as well as food samplings and special events.

“Many of today’s college students have a real interest in proper nutrition and healthy eating. Some are vegetarian and others have certain dietary restrictions,” Dickson said. “We focus on trying to make it easy for students to follow a particular diet and also to eat healthier by providing the food selection and nutritional information needed for them to make healthier choices.”

One of the important nutritional tools Metz provides to customers is HEALTHchecks, a check mark next to a menu item that indicates the item meets nationally accepted dietary guidelines and can be considered a healthy option. For a menu item to receive a check mark, it must be limited in the use of saturated fat, contain less than 140 mg of sodium, and be lower in calories. Detailed nutritional information on each HEALTHchecks entrée item is displayed at various stations featuring a HEALTHchecks selection.

The Metz team will encourage feedback from LVC students through food committee and resident hall meetings, and online surveys. Students also will enjoy a new campus-wide delivery program called TOGO Taxi, which will enable them to order food to be delivered directly to their residence halls on certain nights. “This delivery service, and our enhanced Up for Grabs selections, will make it easy for students to grab a healthy meal as their schedule permits,” Dickson said. “It is all part of our goal to form the type of partnership with LVC that enables us to meet their dining service goals.”

Metz & Associates, Ltd., a premier food service company for the Northeast United States, provides dining and environmental management to clients such as hospitals, assisted living & long-term care facilities, school districts and independent schools, colleges and universities and corporate offices. For more information on Metz & Associates, Ltd., visit our website at www.metzltd.com or call 570-675-8100.