Diners offered Sunday meal deal

Sunday brunch -- What a civilized idea. At least that's how University Dining Services is marketing its latest meal deal. Starting next semester, Dining Services will serve Sunday brunches if enough students are interested, Dining Services Director Bill Canney announced this week. Twelve Sunday brunches will be offered next semester from noon to 1:30 p.m. at William White Training House, the smallest dining hall on campus, Canney said yesterday. The price for the brunches is $125.40 per semester. He said that, in order to offer the weekend service, 175 students must sign up within the next two weeks. "The only way to get students to sign up is to go to them," said Canney, who has been University Dining Services director for 17 years. Dining Services employees are currently recruiting meal plan users at all dining halls. Canney said T-House, which is located next to Hutchinson Gymnasium, has a capacity to serve 400 students, but only 175 students are needed for the new service to break even. "I feel optimistic [but] what might be a drawback is the location," Canney said. The brunch will be "high carbohydrate, low fat [and] protein sound," according to the contract form. Featured foods will include waffles, pancakes, eggs, french toast, fresh fruit, bagels and a deli bar. Dining Services administrators said the brunch is perfect for students who want a healthy meal on Sundays. "I think a lot of kids need a really nutritious meal on the weekends," T-House Manager Jim Walden said. "It's a nice meal [and] I think the menu will be appealing." Until this year, Dining Services has not offered weekend services since 1980 because it was "never able to get the proper numbers to break even," Canney said. Within two years the department lost $200,000, he said. But Canney said he reinstituted weekend service this year after he was approached by new Head Football Coach Al Bagnoli who suggested that athletes would take advantage of weekend service. "[We[ ended up going with Sunday dinner because it tied in with football practice," Canney said. Canney said that 175 students currently eat dinner at T-House Sunday nights, calling the program "successful." But since Sunday brunch is the most popular weekend meal on college campuses, according to national polls of college students, Canney decided to switch from dinner to brunch. Because he said "there isn't really a high demand" for Saturday and Sunday service, Canney said he is starting weekend dining on a small scale. "Rather than thinking on a grand scale, [I'm] doing a total reversal and saying, 'Let's do it on a small scale and see if it works,' " Canney said. Canney said that the price of the brunch is "costed out" at the consumption of athletes, who he said eat three times more than average college students. He said, however, that he hopes more than just athletes are attracted to the idea of Sunday brunch. Walden said that 75 percent of students currently attending Sunday night dinners are athletes. Canney said that the price may be able to be lowered in the future if there is a high demand for the Sunday service, but Dining Services employees are paid overtime -- time and a half -- for weekend labor. "What I can assure students is that they will get a healthy meal," Canney said. In a recent Dining Services survey, 83 percent of students said they were satisfied with breakfast service and 86 percent were satisfied with lunch service. These numbers lead Canney to believe that students also will be satified with brunch service. T-House Student Manager Mark Bunting said that he thinks the brunch will be successful. "I think people will want the brunches," said Bunting, a Wharton junior.