Food trucks to provide LMC students with meals
Every week a new food truck will be present on campus
February 2, 2023
Los Medanos College, which is currently without an operating cafeteria, is experimenting with a new way to bring food to campus. It struck a deal late last fall with local food trucks to serve students this Spring.
Many colleges across California have already been incorporating mobile food vendors into their campus life such as UC Davis, Sacramento State and Stanford.
Teresea Archaga, student life director, says that the pilot benefits everyone involved.
“There has been positive feedback about having food trucks at the Pittsburg Campus,” said Archaga. She adds there has also been feedback from the vendors that they are achieving their financial goals when they visit the Pittsburg campus. They love that they are able to expand their network of customers to the college campus.
Both Contra Costa College and Diablo Valley College have restaurants run by the culinary arts students along with other dining options on each campus, including cafeterias and a food court.
LMC has opted for a different route by turning to food trucks.
Last semester LMC trialed a program with Groovy Gorditas to feed students on its Pittsburg campus. The college has decided to continue the program into the Spring semester.
Students this semester will be able to buy lunch from 11 a.m to 2 p.m every Tuesday this semester in a food truck program the school calls Tasty Tuesdays. It began Jan. 24 with Villas Tacos followed by Groovy Gorditas Jan. 31
However, with the food trucks only being on campus for three hours one day a week, students who come to class on other days have limited options for food on campus.
“The LMC Marketplace has been providing Panera boxed lunches every other Tuesday on campus that are free to LMC students,” said Archaga. She also added, “We are limited in what we can offer for prepared meals through the LMC Marketplace as we do not own an oven.”
While the food provided in the marketplace is microwavable, there is a lack of consistent options for students on the LMC Pittsburg campus.
“The cafeteria needs to be opened,” said LMC Bookstore worker Michele Long. “Students need a warm place to get warm food.”
Most students who go into the bookstore are looking for food and snacks they can eat on campus with Long adding they are doing the best they can with what they are given.
Despite the food truck program being a success at the LMC Pittsburg campus, Archaga said there is not a current plan to bring in more food trucks or to have them available other days of the week.
George Parker
Feb 4, 2023 at 9:32 pm
This is sad. When I was at LMC in the early 1990s, Chef Paul’s culinary program ran a successful cafeteria that actually turned a profit. The LMC program turned out food that was better than a lot of area restaurants. We got Duck L’Orange twice a year, for crying out loud, for a very reasonable price. Every morning before an 8 am class, I could hit the cafeteria for a short stack of pancakes and a cup of coffee for about $2. The cafeteria started going downhill when Chef Paul left over differences of opinion about how the LMC program should be run. Sounds like it has never recovered.