Anticipation is in the air as Union Station announces a new menu item. All the SNAR-enthusiasts should be delighted to hear that Union Station will now be offering Panera soups! They are expected to be available some time in February, but a more specific date is yet to come. There will be three kinds of soup offered – broccoli cheddar, baked potato and chicken tortilla. They will be available with any student meal plan or to purchase with credit card for $6. 

Despite the thrilling nature of having some new food on campus, this information does not bring good news for all students. It is worth noting that none of these soup varieties will be vegetarian and the only dairy-free option will be chicken tortilla. Dickinson’s limited plant-based foods or options that meet various dietary restrictions in Dickinson’s dining locations. It is a major disappointment that these options will not be choices for people with these restrictions.

The soups will just add on to the list of dining blunders, such as the unavailability of the Kove, lack of sustainable packaging in Union Station, few vegan dishes in the Dining Hall’s main line and limited options in the Underground. 

Nevertheless, hope may not be completely lost. Dickinson does have some plans to improve the lack of variety in their menus. They are doing this by creating a lineup of limited time only options that will be added to Union Station. There are few details as to what this will exactly entail, so whether it may help to ease some of the current problems is yet to be found. However, for the sake of the students on campus, let’s hope this new campaign will bring some good fortune and tasty food with it.