I have a friend who loves burgers. The week prior to the start of classes, we went to Kleiner to get food. He goes to get a burger he loves, which involves a simple process of build-your-own style similar to Subway.

However, he was very shocked to find that a new system had been put into place which prevented him from adding a certain type of cheese he wanted. Due to confusion with this new system, he interpreted this as having to choose a certain style of burger, such as All-American, which meant a strict set of ingredients.

While he complained, I began thinking of exactly what impact this would have on other students this year at Grand Valley. Is Kleiner the only location? No; the bottom level of Kirkhof is showing a similar menu as well.

I knew that this was more than just a change made to Kleiner because of the building upgrade. It turns out that the styles were simply meant to clear up what ingredients will be put on the sandwich for those paying with cash, not necessarily prohibit the addition of the cheese he wanted on a meal plan. This is a brand new system that Grand Valley has put into place this year. But how will the students fare?

First, let’s analyze this new system. We have a system that has different styles of food with a listed set of ingredients for each style to help those paying cash. Personally, I feel that this is a very thoughtful procedure that had a rough and confusing beginning.

We members of the GVSU drumline have get-togethers at Kleiner at 9 p.m. on Tuesday nights, and it wouldn’t be very enjoyable if some of our favorite food choices were removed from the menu. Fortunately, the true meaning of the change was to assist cash or debit-payers with their meal’s ingredients. I’ve never tried the burgers at Kleiner, but I can understand how frustrating it is to not be able to get everything you want on a sandwich. Now that we’ve got a new system to help make everyone’s dining experience more enjoyable, I think I should definitely try one sometime.

Another question is this: will other on-campus restaurants do the same? I haven’t checked or asked about any other restaurant if their menu has changed, but I doubt it, seeing as I was able to get two slices of pizza in Kirkhof as I was last year.

But will they eventually change, too? I can’t say that they have a need to adapt to the same style-menu as the grill restaurants, but who’s to say that they won’t continue to do what they can to make their own menus better in their own ways if needed?

All in all, the new menu system for the grill restaurants should prove to be very helpful to everyone. Hopefully, it’ll even turn people like me to give Kleiner’s burgers a try rather than sticking to the daily meal routine. I can’t guarantee that this new system will be fool-proof, but it’s nice to be reassured that Grand Valley is continuing to do what it can to make student life here better.

Headline: Dining on campus just made easier