At the end of the spring 2023 semester, Fordham Dining announced that there would be a massive overhaul of the dining program. One of these changes is the introduction of a food truck, which would allow students to get food on the go. This food truck, also known as the CHOMP truck, began operations at the beginning of this year.
The idea for the CHOMP truck originated during the talks for the total reinvention of the Queen’s Court Ram Café last February, according to Fordham Dining Liaison Deming Yaun.
“The plan was to open several smaller destinations,” said Yaun. “[The food trucks] were an on-trend addition that many colleges and universities of our size were adding to their dining programs, so we jumped in and said ‘Yeah, let’s go.’”
This truck will not just have a standard breakfast menu for mornings, but several lunch menus, with concepts such as “Ramses Mobile Dinner” and “The Melt,” that, according to Yaun, will rotate on “less than a weekly basis,” since “customers might not want to see the same menu for more than a couple of days.”
According to Yaun, the CHOMP truck will move throughout the day from Martyrs’ Circle on weekday mornings, to Finlay Hall on weekend mornings, as well as Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. .
There are not yet talks of opening additional trucks. “Let’s get the first one out of the way,” said Yaun.
While the truck was only open for two to three days into the semester before the cold wave, early reviews from the student body were mostly positive about the food trucks, saying that although it’s not a replacement for the McShane Dining Hall, it’s a great place to get food on the go.
“It’s a good option to grab food and go [and] it’s a great alternative to sit-down places,” said Emy Hayford, a graduate student.
However, there are some criticisms as well. Although she enjoyed her meal overall, Kareena Kayla Kumar, FCRH ’27, was dissatisfied with the time it took to make her food. “It took longer for them to make my plant-based [order]. The guy who ordered after me got his order first,” she said.
However, despite this issue, Kumar and another customer, Stefania Bonanni, FCRH ’24, both enjoyed their orders.
While reception is favorable to the CHOMP truck, students hope to see more vegan and vegetarian options in the future, with Hayford dreaming of a future with Dagger John’s open on weekends.
Unfortunately, due to the subfreezing temperatures that caused many issues with the truck, it was shelved until Jan. 26. However, since temperatures are warmer, it has returned.
However, there is one more goal Yaun has in mind: leaving the infamous last-place spot in numerous rankings of the worst college food.
“[I and] everyone at Fordham want to see food services on a better place on that ranking,” he said.
While Fordham’s food’s reputation is still at rock bottom, the positive reception of the CHOMP truck hopefully indicates a change in how the heads of Fordham Dining see the importance of their food’s quality and variety.
As Mya Rosario, GSB ’27 states, “We’re not ranked one of the worst [for food] for nothing.”
