Oct. 1—Several foodservice trends converge in a new food truck that was recently rolled into Michigan State University, in East Lansing.
The menu of the Eat at State On-the-Go truck abounds in local ingredients, including greens grown at the MSU Student Organic Farm, beef raised on campus, cheese from the MSU Dairy Store, desserts from the MSU Bakers and bread baked locally at Breadsmith Artisan Bread Bakery of Okemos, Mich. All local items are offered as part of the Grown at MSU program.
The seasonal menu currently includes MSU’s own smoked cheddar cheeseburger, salad wrap, salad wrap with chicken, chicken sandwich, smashed chickpea sandwich and specialty sandwich.
“The menu’s inspiration came from taking a local mindset and thinking about what our guests like to eat to create items that are fun and flavorful,” Kurt Kwiatkowski, corporate chef for MSU Culinary Services, said in a university press release. “Our signature item is the smoked cheddar cheeseburger and with all of its ingredients grown, raised or made on campus or in the community, it doesn’t get more local.”
Burgers, sandwiches, salads, snacks and drinks will be sold via the truck year-round.
The truck accepts cash, credit cards, Spartan Cash and on- and off-campus student, and faculty/staff dining plans through Combo-X-Change and Flex Option. Eat at State On-the-Go is located north of Shaw Hall near the Red Cedar River on MSU’s campus from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily during fall semester while Shaw Dining Hall is under construction. The food truck will also be serving at fall football games. Beginning spring semester 2013, the food truck will be moving to different campus locations. This past summer, Eat at State social media followers gave their input in naming the truck. The three top names, Green Machine, ST82PL8 and Go Green Cuisine, were added into the designed graphic wrapping on the truck.
“Food helps build community, and that’s exactly what our new food truck will be doing on campus,” Guy Procopio, director for MSU Culinary Services, said in the release. “It’s going to make Eating at State more portable and convenient. We’re constantly looking at creative ways to enhance and support our community without necessarily relying on traditional food services, which is what we’ve done with Eat at State On-the-Go.”