Welcome to your very own information hub for Utah Valley University's own Valley View Cafeteria! Here you can find our weekly menu, updates on anything new and exciting, recipies, ideas, etc... Hope you like what you see, please leave us any questions or comments.
Talk with the manager. Please feel free to leave any questions or comments on this page. I will do my best to get back with you as soon as possible. Every comment is given attention and is very much appreciated. -Kayde Dexter
I really, really loved the Chicken Gumbo. I think it might be the best soup I've had from you guys! Any chance of seeing a repeat sometime soon (or regularly,even!)?
Heads up Chicken Gumbo has officially made its return today. I used Mari Gras as an excuse, but it worked. Thought we should let you know. I made sure to talk with our cook again about your comment and asked him to remember it in his rotations.
Concerning both the Clam Chowder and Chicken Gumbo: I will make sure to talk with our Chef about this first thing in the morning. I agree Clam Chowder should have an abundance of Clams not Bacon, as for the Gumbo- we love knowing what you like and will definatly make sure to serve that one again soon!
Last semester, I really enjoyed the Shepherd's Pie, Stromboli, and anything Mexican. I love the Bacon Cheeseburgers and Fries, too, but it's strange to me that a burger often costs me more than a big plate of Shepherd's Pie or some other special of the day. I also loved the desserts, especially the pie that was like a peanut-butter cream. (I'd love the recipe for it!).
I am glad to know that you enjoyed the Shepherd's Pie, I personally love it, but we were debating taking it off of the menu. I will throw it back on for another go around and see how things go. The Stromboli and as you say anything Mexican always seem to be big hits. As far as I know we order in the Peanut-butter Cream pie. I will check that out with out with our baker and if that is the case let you know the brand and maybe a recipe that is as close as possible.
I also LOVED the chicken gumbo. However, I've only had it one time, but once was enough for me! It was great. I have repeatedly returned to see if it's there again, *sigh, with much disappointment, having never been able to catch a day when you had it back on the menu. Perhaps, you could list both soups of the day on the valley view menu or even here on your blog. That'd be handy. Please bring back chicken gumbo! :)
Just a heads up I made sure to get some Chicken Gumbo today for Mardi Gras time...really it was just a convenient excuse. Thought I should let you know.
The taco salads are usually really good, but today they were a little boring tasting because the ground beef wasn't even seasoned. You need to add taco seasoning to it--after all it is a "taco salad", plus it would give it a lot more flavor. Good job on cooking the taco bowl shells though--they were nice and crunchy and cooked just right. Last time they were a bit chewy because they were undercooked.
Thank you for the feed back! I passed this on to our cook and he is taking care of the meat right now. I totally agree about the shells though, they were awesome today. I can't wait to take my taco salad home tonight, granted I usually go for the chicken dish.
So I know this isn't food related, but I have a suggestion. Can you have someone fix all the tables that wobble? There's a bunch of them in the middle section and a few others scattered around in the Valley View eating area where the table top moves anytime you lean on it. They've been like that for the past two or three semesters and it's been driving me crazy. It makes it hard to eat! If you can have someone fix them that would be awesome.
Consider it done. We have already notified the Student Center Mantinence Staff and they have added it to their list of things to work on. Now I just need to stay on top of them and make sure it gets finished. Thanks for the reminder. Hope that it gets fixed a.s.a.p.
Why do you poor new food on top of old food that has been sitting out for who knows how long? Does anyone there follow health code? For example the fried chicken student staples.
It has been our policy to fill the Chicken and other fried items (Fries, Tater Tots, Onion Rings) as fast as possible as those items move faster than any other. Generally speaking those pans empty out every twenty-thirty minutes and we are refreshing them more often between. We do change pans out for fresh clean pans every two hours. Health code mandates that we have four hours to use product before it must be thrown away. We only serve these items from the hours of 10:30a.m.-4:00p.m.
You may have noticed that we do follow FIFO (First in First out) with all of our line items as they do not move as fast as the fried items. Our staff is taught FIFO guidelines and follow them daily. I did include the FDA guidelines concerning food hold times here if you are curious as to what the official guidelines are:
3-501.19 Time as a Public Health Control.
If time temperature control is used as the public health control up to a maximum of 4 hours: (1) The food shall have an initial temperature of 5ºC (41ºF) or less when removed from cold holding temperature control, or 57°C (135°F) or greater when removed from hot holding temperature control; P (2) The food shall be marked or otherwise identified to indicate the time that is 4 hours past the point in time when the food is removed from temperature control; Pf (3) The food shall be cooked and served, served at any temperature if ready-to-eat, or discarded, within 4 hours from the point in time when the food is removed from temperature control; P and (4) The food in unmarked containers or packages, or marked to exceed a 4-hour limit shall be discarded
First, this blog with comment/response section is awesome. If only more departments/areas of UVU would have something like this.
Second, I'd like to request more microwave ovens for use in the Valley View cafeteria, since there is a dearth of microwaves on campus in general. It's probably a tough expense to justify when there is only a need for more than one or two ovens during the lunch rush, but it sure would be nice.
Finally, I don't often purchase food from the Valley View cafeteria, but every time I do it's delicious.
Thank you for the compliment! We like the idea too.
We are aware of the microwave problem, especially since one of them died last week. We are replacing the one, I am not sure of plans for more than that in the near future. I am not sure what your schedule is like but there should be a microwave at each of the remote locations too if that is more convinient for you. We recently replaced the one down at the Library Cafe.
I had to throw away almost all of my jambalaya today because it was too spicy. I couldn't eat it. (I've had it before in the Valley View Room and it was OK.)
I am sorry to hear about that. Grab one of our cashiers or myself (I am usually running around somewhere and the employees are great at stopping me) and we will get you something new or reimburse you next time. Again so sorry to hear about his and I will make sure to talk to our cook about it.
Sorry to complain, but the Kahlua Pork Bowl I had today was a rip-off. Almost half the meat they put in mine was just blobs of fat. Plus, I got charged extra for the vegetables that were on top. Why don't they try to take out most of the fat instead of leaving it all mixed in with the rest of the meat and serving it to people? And aren't the vegetables on top part of the price? I ended up picking out most of them anyway because I don't like water chestnuts and yellow squash--I don't know many people that like them either. I think you should get a new mix of vegetables for the pork bowls that most people would eat.
I am so sorry to hear about your experience. I have talked to our Chef about making sure they cut the fat off before shedding the meat, as well as our line workers. I have asked them to double check that they do not serve the fat. You are correct the vegetables were supposed to be a part of the meal, I am unsure why they charged you for them and have discussed this with all of our cashiers to make sure it does not happen next time.
Alas, the Breakfast Special has fallen on hard times perhaps? Its listed on the menu as "2 eggs" when they're offered but this academic term that has meant 2 scoops of something yellow and slightly rubbery. I realize that eggs have gotten more expensive but a more accurate description in both the menu and the little request note at the line would seem to be more fair. Or maybe a return to real eggs? :-)
I am sorry that you feel this way. The scrambled eggs we offer on the line are infact real eggs, they are just prepared using a boilg in the bag method vs. frying them on the grill. We also prepare eggs to order on our grill as requested from the customer, each of these being freshly cracked eggs.
Hello! Please display correct prices on the refrigerated cases in the Valley View Room. I just bought a container of Yoplait Greek yogurt. On the door of the case it was in was a sign saying "Yoplait $1.24", but I was charged $1.99. There was another discrepancy like that for a different item a few weeks ago. Thanks!
I am so sorry about that. We are actually working on all new signage right now. To answer your question about the yogurt however, we recently recieved Greek Yoplait yogurt in which is a different price than the traditional yogurt. We are updating that sign with the regular and greek prices (Regular: 1.24, Greek 1.99) today and will be putting up signs for all of our other retail items in the near future. I am so sorry for the discrepancies. Please let me know a.s.a.p. if not while you are here of any others that you find as a few slip through the cracks when we get new items across campus. I will make sure to jump right on them.
It would be cool if you could include nutritional info on the main menu page, or on a linked page. It wouldn't need to be elaborate, just calories, and the calories from fat. Maybe a little graphic showing the nutrient balance. Also, I like the idea of a "student favorite" line, where you do a weekly rotation of the five most popular dishes. Honestly, I don't mind Taco Salad Tuesday, Haystack Wednesday, French Dip Friday.
We are actually working on that as we speak. It will be very similar to our nutritional tab here on the blog. I will bring up your idea for a student favorite line with my boss, I like it!
The food here is I think the worst I have ever tasted! The quality is deplorable I have gotten food poisoning on more then one occasion, and I have gotten food with mold on it and I'm not talking about just a little. There isn't anything that is diabetic friendly but the bunny bar and the prices for what you get are awful. I know food prices are going up but please. Valley View is so poorly managed from one end to the other I have had my own business for 8 years so I know how this works and this place doesn't! The staff is probably the worst crime in all this the people that are suppose to be working at the grill are so slow the food gets cold before it can get out to you and what is up with that arrogant midget chef with the Napoleon complex??? I can't figure out why this place hasn't been shut down especially with the health code violations! The only time the food was good was this last summer tasted like they got a new cook!!!
So once upon a time I went to a small town in Texas that had this amazing burger called the "Ghetto Burger". Chilli, jalepenos, onions, bacon, yummm... See a picture for reference here: http://s3-media1.ak.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/JLzPUeJxr7P3dRu02tcaLw/l.jpg
And I had a sudden craving for one, unfortunately Texas is a long way away from Utah. Would you be willing to try making one?
psssttt if you really want to try it I'm sure they wouldn't mind giving you a hint if you get stuck: (903)-873-5455
I love that you included the phone number. We may be able to do something like that as a Grill Special, or any time that we have Chili anywhere on the line (or as a soup option) we can build you one from the grill. **Spoiler alert: There will be chili next Monday with the Potato bar.
Why is there more Bacon in the CLAM Chowder then CLAMS??? STOP THIS MADNESS!!!
ReplyDeleteSeriously? Who complains about too much bacon?!
DeleteI know right. You can never go wrong with too much bacon.
DeleteI really, really loved the Chicken Gumbo. I think it might be the best soup I've had from you guys! Any chance of seeing a repeat sometime soon (or regularly,even!)?
ReplyDeleteHeads up Chicken Gumbo has officially made its return today. I used Mari Gras as an excuse, but it worked. Thought we should let you know. I made sure to talk with our cook again about your comment and asked him to remember it in his rotations.
DeleteConcerning both the Clam Chowder and Chicken Gumbo: I will make sure to talk with our Chef about this first thing in the morning. I agree Clam Chowder should have an abundance of Clams not Bacon, as for the Gumbo- we love knowing what you like and will definatly make sure to serve that one again soon!
ReplyDeleteLast semester, I really enjoyed the Shepherd's Pie, Stromboli, and anything Mexican. I love the Bacon Cheeseburgers and Fries, too, but it's strange to me that a burger often costs me more than a big plate of Shepherd's Pie or some other special of the day. I also loved the desserts, especially the pie that was like a peanut-butter cream. (I'd love the recipe for it!).
ReplyDeleteI am glad to know that you enjoyed the Shepherd's Pie, I personally love it, but we were debating taking it off of the menu. I will throw it back on for another go around and see how things go. The Stromboli and as you say anything Mexican always seem to be big hits. As far as I know we order in the Peanut-butter Cream pie. I will check that out with out with our baker and if that is the case let you know the brand and maybe a recipe that is as close as possible.
ReplyDeleteI also LOVED the chicken gumbo. However, I've only had it one time, but once was enough for me! It was great. I have repeatedly returned to see if it's there again, *sigh, with much disappointment, having never been able to catch a day when you had it back on the menu. Perhaps, you could list both soups of the day on the valley view menu or even here on your blog. That'd be handy.
ReplyDeletePlease bring back chicken gumbo! :)
Just a heads up I made sure to get some Chicken Gumbo today for Mardi Gras time...really it was just a convenient excuse. Thought I should let you know.
DeleteThe taco salads are usually really good, but today they were a little boring tasting because the ground beef wasn't even seasoned. You need to add taco seasoning to it--after all it is a "taco salad", plus it would give it a lot more flavor. Good job on cooking the taco bowl shells though--they were nice and crunchy and cooked just right. Last time they were a bit chewy because they were undercooked.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the feed back! I passed this on to our cook and he is taking care of the meat right now. I totally agree about the shells though, they were awesome today. I can't wait to take my taco salad home tonight, granted I usually go for the chicken dish.
ReplyDeleteSo I know this isn't food related, but I have a suggestion. Can you have someone fix all the tables that wobble? There's a bunch of them in the middle section and a few others scattered around in the Valley View eating area where the table top moves anytime you lean on it. They've been like that for the past two or three semesters and it's been driving me crazy. It makes it hard to eat! If you can have someone fix them that would be awesome.
ReplyDeleteConsider it done. We have already notified the Student Center Mantinence Staff and they have added it to their list of things to work on. Now I just need to stay on top of them and make sure it gets finished. Thanks for the reminder. Hope that it gets fixed a.s.a.p.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you poor new food on top of old food that has been sitting out for who knows how long? Does anyone there follow health code? For example the fried chicken student staples.
ReplyDeleteIt has been our policy to fill the Chicken and other fried items (Fries, Tater Tots, Onion Rings) as fast as possible as those items move faster than any other. Generally speaking those pans empty out every twenty-thirty minutes and we are refreshing them more often between. We do change pans out for fresh clean pans every two hours. Health code mandates that we have four hours to use product before it must be thrown away. We only serve these items from the hours of 10:30a.m.-4:00p.m.
ReplyDeleteYou may have noticed that we do follow FIFO (First in First out) with all of our line items as they do not move as fast as the fried items. Our staff is taught FIFO guidelines and follow them daily. I did include the FDA guidelines concerning food hold times here if you are curious as to what the official guidelines are:
3-501.19 Time as a Public Health Control.
If time temperature control is used as the public health control up to a maximum of 4 hours:
(1) The food shall have an initial temperature of 5ºC (41ºF) or less when removed from cold holding temperature control, or 57°C (135°F) or greater when removed from hot holding temperature control; P
(2) The food shall be marked or otherwise identified to indicate the time that is 4 hours past the point in time when the food is removed from temperature control; Pf
(3) The food shall be cooked and served, served at any temperature if ready-to-eat, or discarded, within 4 hours from the point in time when the food is removed from temperature control; P and
(4) The food in unmarked containers or packages, or marked to exceed a 4-hour limit shall be discarded
http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/RetailFoodProtection/FoodCode/FoodCode2009/ucm186451.htm
you are out of ketchup!!
ReplyDeleteOn it! Thank you for the heads up.
ReplyDeleteFirst, this blog with comment/response section is awesome. If only more departments/areas of UVU would have something like this.
ReplyDeleteSecond, I'd like to request more microwave ovens for use in the Valley View cafeteria, since there is a dearth of microwaves on campus in general. It's probably a tough expense to justify when there is only a need for more than one or two ovens during the lunch rush, but it sure would be nice.
Finally, I don't often purchase food from the Valley View cafeteria, but every time I do it's delicious.
Thanks,
Jon
Jon,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the compliment! We like the idea too.
We are aware of the microwave problem, especially since one of them died last week. We are replacing the one, I am not sure of plans for more than that in the near future. I am not sure what your schedule is like but there should be a microwave at each of the remote locations too if that is more convinient for you. We recently replaced the one down at the Library Cafe.
Thank you for posting both soups today!
ReplyDeleteI had to throw away almost all of my jambalaya today because it was too spicy. I couldn't eat it. (I've had it before in the Valley View Room and it was OK.)
ReplyDeleteI am sorry to hear about that. Grab one of our cashiers or myself (I am usually running around somewhere and the employees are great at stopping me) and we will get you something new or reimburse you next time. Again so sorry to hear about his and I will make sure to talk to our cook about it.
DeleteSorry to complain, but the Kahlua Pork Bowl I had today was a rip-off. Almost half the meat they put in mine was just blobs of fat. Plus, I got charged extra for the vegetables that were on top. Why don't they try to take out most of the fat instead of leaving it all mixed in with the rest of the meat and serving it to people? And aren't the vegetables on top part of the price? I ended up picking out most of them anyway because I don't like water chestnuts and yellow squash--I don't know many people that like them either. I think you should get a new mix of vegetables for the pork bowls that most people would eat.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry to hear about your experience. I have talked to our Chef about making sure they cut the fat off before shedding the meat, as well as our line workers. I have asked them to double check that they do not serve the fat. You are correct the vegetables were supposed to be a part of the meal, I am unsure why they charged you for them and have discussed this with all of our cashiers to make sure it does not happen next time.
DeleteAlas, the Breakfast Special has fallen on hard times perhaps? Its listed on the menu as "2 eggs" when they're offered but this academic term that has meant 2 scoops of something yellow and slightly rubbery. I realize that eggs have gotten more expensive but a more accurate description in both the menu and the little request note at the line would seem to be more fair. Or maybe a return to real eggs? :-)
ReplyDeleteI am sorry that you feel this way. The scrambled eggs we offer on the line are infact real eggs, they are just prepared using a boilg in the bag method vs. frying them on the grill. We also prepare eggs to order on our grill as requested from the customer, each of these being freshly cracked eggs.
DeleteHello! Please display correct prices on the refrigerated cases in the Valley View Room. I just bought a container of Yoplait Greek yogurt. On the door of the case it was in was a sign saying "Yoplait $1.24", but I was charged $1.99. There was another discrepancy like that for a different item a few weeks ago. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry about that. We are actually working on all new signage right now. To answer your question about the yogurt however, we recently recieved Greek Yoplait yogurt in which is a different price than the traditional yogurt. We are updating that sign with the regular and greek prices (Regular: 1.24, Greek 1.99) today and will be putting up signs for all of our other retail items in the near future. I am so sorry for the discrepancies. Please let me know a.s.a.p. if not while you are here of any others that you find as a few slip through the cracks when we get new items across campus. I will make sure to jump right on them.
DeleteIt would be cool if you could include nutritional info on the main menu page, or on a linked page. It wouldn't need to be elaborate, just calories, and the calories from fat. Maybe a little graphic showing the nutrient balance. Also, I like the idea of a "student favorite" line, where you do a weekly rotation of the five most popular dishes. Honestly, I don't mind Taco Salad Tuesday, Haystack Wednesday, French Dip Friday.
ReplyDeleteWe are actually working on that as we speak. It will be very similar to our nutritional tab here on the blog. I will bring up your idea for a student favorite line with my boss, I like it!
DeleteThe food here is I think the worst I have ever tasted! The quality is deplorable I have gotten food poisoning on more then one occasion, and I have gotten food with mold on it and I'm not talking about just a little. There isn't anything that is diabetic friendly but the bunny bar and the prices for what you get are awful. I know food prices are going up but please. Valley View is so poorly managed from one end to the other I have had my own business for 8 years so I know how this works and this place doesn't! The staff is probably the worst crime in all this the people that are suppose to be working at the grill are so slow the food gets cold before it can get out to you and what is up with that arrogant midget chef with the Napoleon complex??? I can't figure out why this place hasn't been shut down especially with the health code violations! The only time the food was good was this last summer tasted like they got a new cook!!!
ReplyDeleteGee, I've never felt that way before. Although I do agree prices are a bit high, it is certainly cheaper than what you'll get from Costa Vida
DeleteSo once upon a time I went to a small town in Texas that had this amazing burger called the "Ghetto Burger". Chilli, jalepenos, onions, bacon, yummm... See a picture for reference here: http://s3-media1.ak.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/JLzPUeJxr7P3dRu02tcaLw/l.jpg
ReplyDeleteAnd I had a sudden craving for one, unfortunately Texas is a long way away from Utah. Would you be willing to try making one?
psssttt if you really want to try it I'm sure they wouldn't mind giving you a hint if you get stuck: (903)-873-5455
I love that you included the phone number. We may be able to do something like that as a Grill Special, or any time that we have Chili anywhere on the line (or as a soup option) we can build you one from the grill. **Spoiler alert: There will be chili next Monday with the Potato bar.
Delete