EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The leaves are changing in this college town, and so are the choices for lunch. One new option is Eat at State On-the-Go, a food truck run by Culinary Services at Michigan State University. Open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. year-round, the truck sells sandwiches, snacks and drinks to students between classes.
The members of the Culinary Services department at MSU are using social media including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to connect with the students. Its Twitter account, @EatAtState, which has more than 2,000 followers, posts daily specials and locations. “The daily sandwich at the #foodtruck is BBQ Chicken w/ mushrooms, Cheddar, field greens, onion, tomato,” read one tweet on Oct 1.
The food truck will serve students around Shaw Hall this fall while the Shaw Dining Hall is under construction, as well as at football games. In the spring, the truck will start moving to different locations around campus.
“Food helps build community, and that’s exactly what our new food truck will be doing on campus,” said Guy Procopio, director for MSU Culinary Services, in a release issued by the school. “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.”
Supporting its community, the food truck offers several menu items with locally and even campus-sourced ingredients. The top item on the menu, named “MSU’s Own Smoked Cheddar Cheeseburger,” features “MSU Student Organic Farm toppings, MSU Dairy Cheese and MSU Beef.” The menu also has vegetarian items, such as a salad wrap and a smashed chickpea 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,” said Kurt Kwiatkowski, corporate chef for MSU Culinary Services, in the 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.”
The food truck contains a flat-top grill, hot box, bakery cabinet, refrigerator, a quiet generator and a three-compartment sink. The vehicle was designed with help from food-truck platform provider Mobi Munch.
For more information onEat at State On-the-Go, visit its Facebook and Twitter pages.
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