Linden Hall Dining Service has been chosen to implement a self-service lunch and dinner line as part of a test to determine if self-service will expand to all of Iowa State’s Dining Services.

The decision to experiment with a self-service system in Linden Hall was prompted at the start of spring semester by the low number of applications and staff throughout the ISU Dining Services, said Mary Ellen Metzger, dining services manager of Linden Hall.

With the exception of Linden Hall, all ISU Dining Services currently have employees to dish out the entrees for lunch and dinner. Breakfast is the only self-serve meal in all of the dining halls.

Although the self-service system is new to ISU, it is used at other universities.

To determine if the lines will work, the university has chosen to experiment in Linden Hall because it is a smaller dining service.

At the end of the semester the patrons of Linden Hall Dining Service will be asked to fill out surveys.

The students’ opinions will greatly affect the outcome of the experiment, Metzger said.

Rachel Volesky, freshman in horticulture, said she likes the new idea of being able to serve herself. “Meals become a lot more interesting when you can mix and match your entrees,” she said.

Amy Ritzman, freshman in journalism and mass communication, said she also enjoys the new self-service line in the Linden Hall Dining Service because she can take as much food as she wants.

Many aspects of the new line are under consideration, and its failure or success will determine if the self-service line will be continued and expanded.

“If the self-service lines significantly affect the cost of meal plans or other expenses, then I want students to agree to it before it continues in Linden Hall and expands to the whole university,” Metzger said.

Other points are also being examined.

Managers are taking note of the serving line length and if the lines are slowing down or speeding up.

The writing and verbal tracking cost of entrees, the high percentage cost of entrees and wasting of food is also being monitored, Metzger said.

Because of the newly implemented self-service system, Linden Hall was able to work around the labor issue.

The dining hall now requires one less employee to function smoothly. Metzger is currently comparing labor savings and is finding more ways to save labor.

Colette Brandt, junior in graphic design and a Linden Hall Dining Service employee, said the self-service line has made her job easier.

“I basically just have to keep the food in the lines stocked,” Brandt said.

“There is also less confusion because students don’t come back for seconds as often,” she said.

Metzger is looking forward to finding out what students think about the self-service system.

“We will wait for the surveys to come in at the end of the semester and will base them on the final costing outcome to determine if the system will continue,” Metzger said.