The Washakie Dining Center has historically been the place for University of Wyoming students living on-campus to be fed.
Since 1967, students living in Downey, McIntyre, and White Hall, as well as students living in the Honors College’s Tobin House, have flocked to Washakie—known more commonly as simply Wash—to partake in what the official UW website calls “the centerpiece of the residential dining program and the social hub of the residence halls.”
Its layout mirrors that of an all-you-can-eat buffet, with different stations serving different varieties of food. Staples of the Washakie menu include various different kinds of curries, pastas, sandwiches, soups, and meats. For those with any given dietary needs, like religious or dietary restrictions, Washakie has several accommodations, such as its various halal or vegan options or the NutriSlice app displaying any dishes that may have allergens present.
However, student opinion on the Washakie Center appears to be fairly disapproving, and for a plethora of reasons. Zane Rothfuss, a freshman, shared his feelings on the establishment, saying, “I’d say the food’s better than people make it out to be. People are a little dramatic a lot of the time. That being said, the price for the quality of food is pretty off, so I think it either needs to get cheaper or better.” Other students, like freshman Heizakah Jackson, had much more to say. “I literally got a piece of chicken and it was raw. The inside of it was still pink. Like, I mean, straight up pink,” he stated. “Sometimes, when I look at the food, it’s like, this is not cooked all the way. At the salad station, sometimes they don’t wear gloves when they’re deshelling the eggs, and it’s kind of nasty.”
What’s more, several students have shared their anxieties over Washakie’s health inspection record, with rumors circulating that the dining center had failed its health inspections two years in a row.
Despite these concerns, Washakie has done a consistent job of staying in compliance with health inspections, as noted in their food inspection report from the Wyoming State Department of Agriculture. Since 2016, Washakie has consistently passed its health inspections, but not flawlessly. Five violations have been noted; two from 2019, and three separate others from 2020, 2022 and 2023 respectively. These violations were relatively minor, with the most recent violation coming from two bulk dispensing tubes that were not properly cut. In attempting to inquire further about health inspections and the dining center as a whole, Alex Faber, Assistant Manager at Washakie, directed any questions to a representative from UW, stating concerns that he did not feel like he had the answers for them. As of yet, no communications have been received from UW or its representatives.
A former Washakie employee, who requested anonymity, detailed the intricacies of their time there. When asked about rumors of failed health inspections, they stated, “I had not seen health inspectors personally, but I know management and head chefs had meticulous cleaning tasks for us to do. If anything, the workers they hire almost instantly are not given proper training to know how to clean, and they often just stand to the side. More often than not, newer staff are afraid to ask questions because of the intimidation radiating off of the higher-ups.” Regarding questions about the quality of the food they managed, the former employee said, “The food being good or bad really depended on the day. I know most of my coworkers would not take certain meats such as fish or lamb because they ‘didn’t want to risk it.’ I think when the food is good it’s good when management knows people will show up to eat.”
The Washakie Dining Center has a reputation. With rumors of failed health inspections and complaints about food quality, it appears as if students living on-campus hesitate to pick up the fork, even if their uncertainty may be unfounded. It would seem wise, then, for Washakie to consider student opinion more seriously.
