Rollins College Dining Sevices

Our company had a 2.5-day off-​site strategy-​planning meeting at Rollins, which means we get to sample their «cafeteria». After carrying my tray to the table the first day, I quipped to my colleagues, «This is not how I remember cafeteria food».
Seriously, at many different levels, this is pretty impressive stuff. You all know that Rollins is for the progeny of the rich and famous, or at least the fortunate few, which means they must have the feed to fit! Starting with the plates (not so much the cutlery), we’re talking about plates and bowls with heft. There are many different stations, where a lot of made-​to-​order fare was prepared: sandwiches, wraps, hot-​tossed salads and pastas, and a sushi chef. The freshness — more so than the variety — of the salad bar was the big selling point: still, 3 types of salad to choose from (field greens, iceberg, and romaine), grape tomatoes, thin-​sliced english cukes, pasta, green peas, and enough chick peas to feed 3 middle east nations.
The salad bar was bordered by the soup and dressing stations on either side; the dressing was mostly Ken’s big bottles, somewhat unexpectedly low-​brow. In fact, there was nothing at the salad bar that’s quite as fancy as artichoke hearts, smoked salmon, or hearts of palm. Still it was so alluring that I packed a plate of salad every day. The small dessert station successfully beckoned me 2 days in a row. And all in all, it was impressive enough that when I joked I was going to bring my wife here for Valentine’s Day («I’m sure they’ll have candles at night…», a colleague took the comment at face value: «How long have you been married?», she asked, aghast.
My two complaints, food-​wise, were that A) the sushi was entirely forgettable; and B) on day 2, I was hoodwinked into taking a couple of pieces of «grouper» ($ 6.05), resulting in this imagined exchange with my lunch «Fish: I’ve served grouper, I know grouper — grouper is a favorite fish of mine. Fish — you’re no grouper.» (Basa or Asian catfish would more likely fit the DNA profile).
All this «fine dining» at Rollins comes at a price. No clue what that plate of salad fetched (it was not weighed). The way OUR meal plan worked, she just punches everything up and says, «you’re good». The little box of pedestrian sushi was $ 9.05. Perhaps the meal plan was a good deal, but retail sure wasn’t.
If you want a change of pace from the regular Winter Park establishments, this might be a good choice — just don’t expect it to be bargain-​priced.
What’s that you say? Two seatings, and they are taking reservations for Feb.14??? Get me that phone…