Campus & Community

During Opening Week, University Food Services Feeds an Army—and Then Some

Tuesday, September 10, 2019, By Jennifer DeMarchi

The lists go on and on—brunch for 180 members of the marching band, a buffet for 45 College of Arts and Sciences advisors, a lunch for 25 at the Setnor School of Music. They’re punctuated by bigger numbers—a dinner for 800 international students at Manley Field House, a welcome picnic at the Dome for 7,000, Orange in the City in Clinton Square for 3,000, plus the everyday meals in on-campus dining centers. It all adds up to 63,904 meals (or roughly the population of Utica, New York) served over the course of one week.

This is the amount of food that Syracuse University Food Services prepares during Opening Week. Mark Tewksbury and Sue Bracy, co-directors of Food Services, coordinate 55 management employees, 300 union employees and 150 student employees in what can only be described as a mighty undertaking. Here are the highlights from their mammoth week:

  • Sunday, August 18: Dinner for 600 students at Schine; Dinner for 200 parents at Goldstein Alumni and Faculty Center
  • Tuesday, Aug. 20: Fresh Fest for 600 at Manley Field House; International Welcome Dinner for 800 at Manley; faculty dinner for 120
  • Wednesday, Aug. 21: Food for 2,000 on the Quad; three breakfasts and five lunches ranging from 25-200 people
  • Thursday, Aug., 22: Food for 2,000 on the Quad; welcome picnic for 7,000 at the Dome; dessert on Quad for 7,000; Graduate Student Organization picnic for 1,200 at the Inn Complete (All at the same time!)
  • Friday Aug., 23: Five breakfasts ranging from 75-300 people; picnic on the Quad for 1,300; lunch at Hinds Hall for 300; carnival for 400; two ice cream socials for 250; Orange Blast for 1,000
  • Saturday, Aug. 24: Two lunches on the Quad for 200 each; Orange in the City event for 3,000; Orange Palooza for 2,000

There’s no time to rest, however. Up next is Orange Central Weekend, the grand opening and dedication of the Barnes Center at The Arch, and then somewhere near 50,000 people will pack the Dome for the football game against Clemson—just another routine week for Syracuse University Food Services.