The Unpalatable Truth: Inside the Systemic Failures of Rhodes University’s Dining Hall

By Olona Mzimba

It’s no secret among Rhodes University students that dining hall food is often bland, unappetizing, and nutritionally lacking. Complaints echo across campus dining rooms, yet the issue persists year after year. Now, through insider access to the kitchen’s inner workings, a clearer—and more troubling—picture is emerging: the substandard meals are not simply a matter of poor cooking but the result of deeper institutional failures.

This is a professional-grade kitchen with stainless steel cooking equipment from Allen Webb Kitchen. Photo by: Olona Mzimba.

I grew up around the kitchen—quite literally. My parents have worked behind the steam trays and service lines at Rhodes University’s dining hall kitchens for years. My aunt is a caterer by trade and has firsthand knowledge of food quality standards and procurement practices. With their insights and my own observations as a student, I set out to understand why our daily meals often feel like afterthoughts.

The problem begins, quite literally, at the root: the ingredients themselves.The university's food procurement strategy prioritizes cost over quality, according to staff accounts. “We’re not given fresh, good produce to work with,” one staff member told me. The meat is often tough and low-grade.”

This frugality might balance the budget, but it unavoidably sacrifices both flavor and nutrition. “You can’t make magic with cheap stock,” my aunt explained. “Good food starts with good ingredients.”

Beyond the ingredients, the rigid menu system compounds the problem. Weekly meal plans are fixed well in advance, and kitchen staff have limited freedom to improvise or adapt meals based on seasonal availability or ingredient quality. “Even if we know a certain dish won’t turn out well with the produce we’ve been given, we have to cook it anyway,” said a source inside the kitchen. “There’s no flexibility.”

This rigidity stifles the cooks' creativity and pride in their work. Many of them, like my parents, are passionate about food—but constrained by institutional red tape and unrealistic expectations. The result? Meals that are often uninspired, under-seasoned, and nutritionally unbalanced.

What is often overlooked in student complaints is the toll this system takes on the staff. Morale is low. Staff are overworked, underappreciated, and blamed for the poor quality of meals they have little control over. “We want to do better,” one worker told me, “but our hands are tied.”

There is also a psychological impact on students. Repeated exposure to poor food can lead to disengagement from meals altogether—a troubling trend in an environment where proper nutrition is critical for academic success.

Juice machines on a steel counter. Photo by: Olona Mzimba

Rhodes University’s administration must face the reality that its current food service model is failing its students and staff alike. Procurement policies must be reassessed, not just for cost-efficiency but for quality assurance. Greater autonomy should be given to kitchen staff to adapt menus and prepare meals they can take pride in.

More importantly, students must not be excluded from this conversation. It’s their money funding these meals, and their well-being is on the line.

The dining hall should not be a place of dread or disappointment. With better policies, transparency, and investment in quality, it can become a source of nourishment—both for the body and the spirit.

Edited by: Hannah Thorpe