Santa Rosa Junior College fully launched its partnership with a new food service provider, Pacific Dining, during the Fall 2024 semester after a soft launch this past summer, aiming to elevate the dining experience for SRJC students by focusing on quality, diversity and sustainability in ingredients.
As a hub on campus, Rosco’s Grill in the Bertolini Student Center provides students with the space to socialize with others and relax between classes. There are many places to sit and chat with friends including the Bear’s Den, Rosco’s Grill Dining Hall and the outdoor tables in the Bertolini Quad. Free from the constraints of a classroom or the library, the dining hall is a vital part of the college community and togetherness.
Rosco’s Grill is open Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Friday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Bear’s Den is open Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on the weekends, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. All are located inside the Bertolini Student Center.
“I think the [dining hall] is really good for people to get together and work,” said Lily, a first-semester freshman at SRJC who requested anonymity. “I think it’s clean and very welcoming to people.”
Rosco’s Grill serves breakfast items, grab-n-go deli items like sandwiches and salads, and hot lunch items like burgers, pizzas and burritos.
The Bear’s Den has Starbucks coffee on the menu, which Stephany Carino, a junior at SRJC, is a big fan of. She is partial to the hot chocolate, any of the refreshers and the vanilla bean frap—which she enjoyed during our interview. The Bear’s Den is open until 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, so students can get their caffeine fix going into the evening.
Another exciting addition is the newly available sushi sets.
“I love it, it’s so good,” Carino said. “Honestly, I would rate it very close to a sushi restaurant.”
She frequents the dining hall the most while on campus for her classes, roughly three times per week. Eating on campus with her boyfriend, Francisco, provides them with quality time between their busy schedules. They both like dining at Haku Sushi, Sushi Rosa and Quick Sushi in Santa Rosa, so her comparison is a good sign for Pacific Dining.
Blake Ortiz-Caruana, a first-semester freshman discovered the sushi options early this semester. “I had that for two weeks when I first started. I was like, ‘Okay, this is good! But it’s getting a little pricey,’” Ortiz-Caruana said. “Usually, this is the cheapest, so I go here almost every day.”
He attends classes four days a week and other places in the area do not provide the same bang for his buck. His go-to lunch pick is the chicken tender sandwich. “It’s more filling and pretty cheap at $7,” Ortiz-Caruana said. He usually pairs this with a Coke Zero or a blue Gatorade.
The Bear’s Den is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, so students who live on campus or are otherwise at school during the weekends have limited access. This is better than Rosco’s Grill, which is closed on the weekends. Ariel Resende, Resident Advisor at Polly O’Meara Doyle Hall, spoke about her wishes for more convenient and accessible food options for students living on campus.
“One day, I was hungry, around seven-ish, and [Rosco’s Grill] was closed, so it wasn’t really convenient,” Resende said.
She also spoke about her wishes for well-rounded and nutritious options for people experiencing food insecurity at SRJC. In her experience, the food pantry provides students with items like Cup Noodles. Resende thinks a partnership between the dining hall and Student Services could provide great options for SRJC students experiencing food insecurity.
Other students are also identifying areas for improvement in Pacific Dining. Lily requests that fewer ready-made sandwiches have mayonnaise on them; she is team no-mayo. Ortiz-Caruana hopes for a BLT in the future; it’s one of his favorite types of sandwiches. Carino hopes for breakfast items such as French toast or bacon. Resende hopes for extended hours at Rosco’s Grill or The Bear’s Den to better serve the community of students living on campus.
