Mention cafeteria food to most college students across the country and the response is usually a groan.  However, at West Virginia Wesleyan College, food service is viewed as one of the College’s strengths.  Since 1980, Aladdin Food Management Services has partnered with Wesleyan to help build a new dining center and serve high quality meals to members of the campus community and guests.

Each day, Wesleyan students enter the French A. See Dining Center to select from an array of food choices:  hot breakfast foods, cereal, an assortment of pastries, fresh fruit, pizza and pasta, deli sandwiches, homemade soups, salad bars, breads,  traditional hot entrees, grill items, special vegetarian dishes, desserts, and soft serve and hand dipped ice cream.  The food is served buffet style each day to the over 1,000 students who reside on campus.  “We work very hard to offer a wide variety of choices to students,” says Sean Daniels, director of Aladdin Food Service at Wesleyan.  “We rotate our menus every eight weeks.”

While Wesleyan students can eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the dining center each day, Aladdin also operates Sunny Buck’s, a coffee shop and convenience store that features Starbucks coffee, and The Cat’s Claw, a cabaret-style restaurant that offers a full menu including appetizers, soups and salads, hold and cold sandwiches, entrees and pizza.  Frozen fruit beverages, soft drinks, and Starbucks coffee are served along with desserts.  Both are located in the Benedum Campus Community Center.  All three dining options are open to the general public.

“Today’s student is far more health conscious about food choices,” adds Daniels.  “We always offer vegetarian and vegan choices at every meal.  Our meal plans also allow students to choose sandwiches from Sunny Buck’s and to enjoy a change of pace in The Cat’s Claw.”

Aladdin recently made changes in the dining center to improve the flow of traffic.  “We have added a pizza and pasta station, dessert stations, and a show cookery station and we have upgraded the lighting in the serving area,” notes Daniels.  We believe this will allow everyone to proceed to their preferred area and will help us avoid long lines.

Aladdin also works closely with the Residence Hall Council Food Committee and Wesleyan’s Community Council in planning and evaluating services.  “We are always striving to improve,” concludes Daniels.  All of the enhancements we have made this year are a result of the feedback and input we received from students.”

To learn more about Aladdin including menus and hours of operation, please call (304) 473-8060.