Do you ever have those days where you crave something to eat? It could be either a chicken sandwich from Chick-Fil-A, a burrito from Poblano’s, a pizza from Dino’s or Tomasino’s, or how about an app sampler from Sheetz?  What if you ran out of money and needed deodorant? Well now there is a answer to all of that! If you have a meal plan with the John and Mary Metz dining hall, you get free $200 dining dollars that you can use on campus. In case you run out of dining dollars or would just like to have some extra bucks to spend off campus, students, parents, or legal guardians can call Student Financial services (570-674-6222) to add Archie bucks to their student ID card at any time! Archie bucks can be used off campus at locations such as CVS Pharmacy, Sheetz, Dino’s Italian Bistro, Tomasino’s, Moe’s Southwest Grill, and now Grub hub!

Being a resident on campus and or commuter you most likely already have a meal plan. That plan is rewarding an extra $200 dining dollars that are only allowed to be used on campus. There are many yummy places on campus you can get a delicious meal, locations such as Starbucks, Chick-Fil-A, and Poblano’s! Once you run out of dining dollars or want to switch up your choices of where to get a meal, you can call Student Financial services (570-674-6222) to add on Archie bucks to your existing plan! Not only can Archie bucks be used on campus but also off campus!

How do the equivalents of regular dollars compare to Archie bucks you ask? A regular $1 to Archie bucks $1 is the same thing, you’re getting your money’s worth! There are so many upsides to investing in either a meal plan that gives you dining dollars or adding on Archie bucks. One benefit is that dining dollars transfer over from one semester through the end of the academic next semester and Archie bucks stay on your student ID card for each year! Archie bucks can be added on as frequently as you would like. You can pay by either swiping a credit card or debit in person, paying in cash, or sending a check to Student Financial Services. If you have any questions, they are more than welcome to help you out just give them a call.   

In the upcoming month of November, we will be running a Black Friday special for Archie bucks! When you buy $100 worth of Archie bucks you will be given an additional free $10 totaling $110! This is defiantly worth your money. Perfect for the ones who have late-night class and can't make it to the dining hall before it closes, now you are able to go to Chick-Fil-A! Don’t forget to call or stop by Student Financial Services (located on the 1st floor of Mercy) and add your Archie points.

Are you the type that’s always on the go? As college students are your days busy and very long? Running to class, having long nights in the library, heading to practice? Do you sometimes forget to stop by the John and Mary Dining Hall to enjoy a nice meal? When you’re sitting in a quite classroom does your stomach starts growling? Don’t worry we have all been there before. Misericordia Metz Dining hall has the answers to your growling stomach. We are now offering reusable to-go containers!

We got the answer for you! There is a new green takeout box for the campus community
to be able to purchase. If you don’t have time to sit down in the dining hall and need to return
to work right away, you’re able to purchases one of these containers for just $6.00! How do I
purchase theses reusable to-go containers you ask? Once you enter the café, ask the lovely,
woman that greets you and she will gladly to be able to help you within minutes!
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By purchasing one of theses reusable to-go containers it is not only benefiting you but the
also the environment! Say goodbye to Styrofoam and hello to Renew containers, the reusable
to-go containers are a great way to help the land fill. You don’t have to worry about cleaning it
each time. Once you purchase one of these containers, the best things is when come in next
time after buying it you can hand it to the nice lady that swipes your cougar card and will
receive a new one!

Personally, I feel it is not only a great way to help reduce waste in our land fill, but also
benefits the students and faculty that are always on the go. Misericordia Metz Dining hall
offers some of your favorite foods such as MU Chicken bowl! You don’t want to be the one to
miss out on MU Chicken bowl day, do you? Now you don’t have to. Don’t forget next time
you’re in the dinning hall to ask for your own reusable to-go container!

Metz Misericordia has a wide variety of food, but we also have a wide variety of team members who work alongside one another. Some may not know them, but it may be a good idea to learn about some of them because they are people just like you and me. Some faces are new, but some you may recognize and just not know who they are.

One of these many team members is Colin, our Operations Manager. Colin has been here at Metz Misericordia for almost three years and enjoys working alongside people like Chef Matt and the others. I have worked alongside Colin as well since I started my internship here at Metz Misericordia and I found it to be an absolute pleasure to work alongside and interview him. He accepts every task given head-on and is an excellent problem solver.

As an operations manager, Colin is tasked with many objectives to accomplish throughout the day. Some of the tasks include sorting schedules, setting up and running promotions, and helping oversee things going on around the campus like catering and menus (which he works alongside other team members to accomplish). As the operations manager, Colin also makes sure the food is fresh and everything runs smoothly in his domain.

It honestly surprises me how much Colin is tasked with. He does his best to keep everything going and in order while trying to accomplish it all in a single workday. However, he finds that he loves food service and what he does. In fact, his favorite part about working at Metz Misericordia is the structure of it. He says that it is a great choice for a perfect work/life balance and he enjoys working with like-minded people who enjoy to see the smiles on the guest face.  Colin believes that this “higher education dining” is a great fit for him and what he enjoys doing

Of course, everyone has a favorite food here at Metz as well. When asked, Colin did not hesitate and said Frank’s Big Mac Burger Pizza was his favorite food served here at Metz Misericordia. I absolutely agree that the pizza Frank makes is exquisite as well, he’s been making them for a years, and has been at Metz for years mastering the craft. The pizza is a cheese pizza with hamburger, pickles, and sauce drizzled over the top, truly something to enjoy.

Colin also mentioned the importance of having Metz on campus. Metz has been established at Misericordia for over 20 years serving food to students, instructors, and other people alike. He believes that the relationship between Metz and Misericordia is strong and well. He says that if something is needed and either can help, than they do so immediately and without hesitation. Colin is happy to help keep food fresh and Metz Misericorida running smoothly.

Personally I feel it is interesting to hear about his ideas and work alongside him. I find it to be a good influence on my work because he is always giving 100% whether it is helping serve on the line or helping put together a dish for photography. Colin gives it his all and he is not afraid to take on new tasks here at Metz Misericordia.

​Ah, yes the Olympics. An exuberant amount of people gather to watch top athletes of each country compete against each other in search of the coveted gold medal. Its beginnings from Ancient Greece but now its home is decided by committee and it travels to whoever is chosen to host it. To some the Olympics is about competition and is a reminder of who is the best runner, swimmer, or even the best ping pong player. To me, the Olympics is about a reminder of my early childhood.

Years ago, back when I was a lot younger, and a lot shorter, I used to go with my parents and grandparents on vacations to Canada. We would rent a cabin by a lake for a week and spend the whole week fishing. It was the highlight of my year and I was so excited every time it got close to the middle of the year again. Obviously we did more than just fishing, we would visit places and buy milk from a bag, the normal things you do on vacation. But one of my memories that has always stuck with me, and it seems like it could be insignificant but it means so much to me. I remember sitting on my grandfather’s lap. We were watching the Summer Olympics one day, and we were eating cheese curds as we looked across the room at the old tube tv and just enjoyed the moment, relaxing.

I know that sounds so insignificant, but here’s the thing: my grandfather was one of my biggest influences, especially at a young age. He passed away when I was 15, and I’ve been trying to hang on to every memory of him that I could since then. He was a hard worker, a plumber and contractor. Before that he drove gas trucks and would refill fuel tanks for stoves. He was busy a lot, especially when I was young, so any memory that old that I still remember has a huge value to me. I feel like that’s what matters.

Obviously, this year is the Winter Olympics, and we see a lot of different events like bobsled, ski jump, snowboarding, and curling. My one friend watches the Winter Olympics a little closer than I do, but he mentioned a name that I easily recognized: Shaun White. This Olympics is his last, and it’s sort of bittersweet to see that happening. He’s been in every single Winter Olympics that him and I could remember, and my friend jokingly told me that he feels like “his childhood is ending” because of it. Shaun was one of the people that got a lot of us into snowboarding and winter sports. I can only hope Shaun enjoys retirement.

With as many memories and cultures as the Olympics holds for people in general, not just me, I think it is a wonderful thing that Metz is doing Red White and Taste. It is foods from around the world inspired by the Olympics, trying to bring some of the culture to us. I feel like culture is one of the best things about the Olympics, so why not bring some to the table? When you think about the Olympics, if you aren’t thinking about the sport you’re thinking about the people. I think of Ancient Greece when I’m not reminiscing, and Greece’s wonderful gyros. Some might think of Italy and pasta, or Russia and borscht. And what does food directly connect to? The answer is culture.

​What I’m trying to say is food=culture=Olympics=memories. Everybody remembers something from the Olympics, and I feel that sharing food, in the long run, is sharing memories. Memories can be the most important thing to us, so share a plate and share some culture!

As a college student, you like to keep your options open when it comes to dining. Even just on campus, you could come into Banks dining hall on Misericordia’s campus and the cafeteria could be closed. What do you do? Well you use your Dining Dollars on the other food locations on campus! These include Intermetzo in Insalaco Hall, Starbucks which is across from the pool table in Banks, And the Chick-fil-a that is right next to Misericordia’s very own The Chopping Block. They are all great places to dine, snack, or grab a drink and can be a great change of pace for the heavily-scheduled college student. But what are Dining Dollars and how do I get them?

            Most likely you already have Dining Dollars if you are a student with any meal plan. This includes commuters and residents. Misericordia students are awarded with 200 Dining Dollars with any meal plan to start out, which can be used for the other dining spots on campus. Considering the exchange rate from Dining Dollars to regular dollars on campus is $1 to $1, this means you have two hundred dollars to enjoy delicious food at these fine establishments around campus. When using the Dining Dollars sparingly, they last quite a long time and do not go bad during the semester. Your Dining Dollars even carry over the winter to the spring semester, meaning you don’t lose any Dining Dollars that you didn’t spend. However, your Dining Dollars do not carry over the summer to the fall semester. This means you will unfortunately lose the Dollars you do not spend on the account after spring semester is done.

            Sure some college students are thrifty when it comes to other things, but that may not be true when it comes to Dining Dollars or dining on campus in general. Sometimes even, it could be because your class schedule is tight and you don’t have the option to sit down in the dining hall at all, which can happen to everyone. This is a college campus and free time can be slim for those with long days of nothing but class and lectures. So what happens when you run out of Dining Dollars? There is a way to get more if you don’t want to use cash or other payment methods. By calling the student accounts department, you can add more yourself so you aren’t tempted to use your precious food money on other things because I know I have that problem myself. Doing this means your Dollars are secure and ready to get that chicken sandwich that you’ve been craving, whenever you want it!

            There is also a special promotion coming up for buying more Dining Dollars, and if your parents help you out with food sometimes, they will love it too. November 5-7 is known on campus as “Family Weekend.” The promotion is for every one hundred dollars you add to your Dining Dollars account, you earn an extra $10 as well. It is well worth the money because that could be another trip to Chick-fil-a for free (depending on what all you get) which is a big deal for people who really need it or even people who eat after the dining hall is closed at night. Working through the school year is very difficult, and working through it on an empty stomach is even worse. Make sure you are good on meals, and don’t be afraid to rely on Metz to help!