Introducing: SAGE
By ANNIE WERNERFELT ‘20
After a 5 year contract with Flik ended last June, Milton changed its dining service this academic year. Other food providers went through a bidding process until Milton eventually decided on SAGE Dining. According to Paula Bonarrigo, Director of Campus Services, and the school’s liaison with the dining service, Milton went through a bidding process “to understand current trends and tools in the realm of food services” and that the process “allowed [the school] to interview and experience other dining services.” When asked what makes SAGE stand out among other dining services, Bonarrigo said that the company “services only independent schools and has a deep understanding of serving the best possible food options for K-12 children.”
Returning students have noticed that walking into the cafeteria this September does not appear at first very astounding as the general layout of the food is almost identical to last year’s. So what are the differences? Walking around Forbes Dining Hall, students will notice a couple of upgrades to last year’s assortment of food and appliances. First, SAGE has students and faculty serving themselves hot food instead of ordering it from someone behind the counter. This new setup eliminates some food waste by allowing us to gauge how much food we consume.
The changes don’t end there; a permanent lunch-time pizza bar that adds a reliable vegetarian option to the dining hall has replaced Flik Live. Upon walking to the panini section, students will also notice that the bread drawers and other organization appliances look newer than last year’s, although whether or not this is change links to the new dining service remains unclear. At any rate, some would say that the cafeteria looks slightly more modern, an improvement which is helped by the multiple TVs in Forbes Dining Hall broadcasting all of the options for lunch that day. One downgrade so far is that the ice cream machine has been out of order for the opening days of school, but students can suspect that it will be up and running again very soon.
Boarding students largely view the transition as relatively seamless. Willa DuBois ‘20 says that “SAGE has more options for people with dietary restrictions, but Flik had more options in general.” She also praised SAGE, saying they “have done a great job responding to commentary.” Some examples of SAGE responding include bringing back Friday night ice cream and grilled chicken in the salad bar and opening Elliot Commons for breakfast earlier on weekends. These additions, along with the perceived improved quality of the hot food, lead Willa, along with most other boarding students, to like SAGE more.
If students want to be able to see the menus for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, they can download the TouchOfSAGE app and register. The app has laid out the menus so students can see what SAGE will offer each day until the end of the month. The app also lets students with allergies apply a filter to see what foods they will be able to choose from on a given day. SAGE seems eager to make its food more accessible for and well liked by the entire community.