How Do We Operate During a Blizzard?

After 2+ days of unrelenting snow, winter storm Juno has finally subsided and a sense of normalcy should return to campus tomorrow. We were happy to be able to keep all the hungry students fed – more than 6,300 of you on Tuesday alone(!) – but what exactly goes in to keeping dining locations open during a major snowstorm?

First, we are always looking ahead at weather forecasts for any potential major disruptions, be it snowstorms in the winter or hurricanes in the summer. Once the predictions for 24-30 inches of snow began last weekend, we started loading up on certain items in our daily deliveries from our suppliers. This is the first key to staying open as we were able to continue operating during the storm with all the essential food items we needed, even as our typical daily deliveries were unable to reach us due to the traffic ban.

Secondly, our incredible staff members that were able to reach campus during the storm, either by walking from their homes or staying in local hotels, allowed our operations to run smoothly given all the external factors at play. We are incredibly grateful for the dedication they showed to the University this week and we definitely heard – and passed along – all of your kind words to our staff that you sent in on social media.

Finally, the staff of the University is always an integral part of this process. From working with us on Monday to determine the hours of operation deemed appropriate with this kind of storm to the incredible teams at Facilities and NUPD keeping the roads and sidewalks safe, it is a campus-wide effort that allows us to operate, especially during snowstorms, and we couldn't be prouder of the staff members we work alongside every day.

So finish up that homework you've been putting off for two days and we'll see you back in the dining halls for breakfast tomorrow morning!

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