Juliana Martinez–Staff Writer

Rice bowls: they’re everywhere. From Mexican food restaurants, such as Chipotle and Qdoba, to Mediterranean choices, like Roti, to Korean variations, like Yum Yum, rice bowls are here to stay and now making their debut at Dordt College.

The Grille offers bowls with quinoa and rice as a base with three options for protein, including two types of chicken and one type of beef. There are four different sauces to give the bowls extra flavor and various options for vegetables. To top it off, the entree is completed with peanuts or garlic and served with an egg roll on the side.

“Some people called me genius for switching to it,” says Jake Jensen, Grille retail manager. Mr. Jensen noted that they serve about 100 bowls per day, not to mention the 200-250 sandwiches Grille workers crank out in the afternoons. The Grille has also expanded its menu to include three hand tossed salads, each of which has a variety of toppings and specialty dressings.

“It was like the best salad I’ve ever had,” says sophomore Selena Munson about the Uptown salad.

Although the new salads and rice bowls have been a big hit, some students did not realize that the rice bowls were offered during meal exchange, and others have not tried the new options.

Released last spring, the Eatable app’s mobile order feature creates an extra challenge for Grille employees, but at large, has been very helpful for students running for meals in between classes. Mr. Jensen said that by the end of last spring, about six sandwiches were made per minute during the busy hours, “the defender, of course, being the most popular” sub choice.

While we cannot expect to see any changes in the main menu, we may start to see some slight variations in toppings for the rice bowls and salads “no earlier than November,” according to Mr. Jensen. Although some students complain that there is too much sauce or not enough chicken, these rice bowls are selling like hot cakes and will become a staple for the Dordt College Grille.