Deciding where to eat is difficult when you’re on a campus as large as UBC’s — but Campus Nutrition has created a way to save you time and money while still getting exactly what you’re craving.
On September 3, the student-led non-profit launched a new interactive map on its website.
In addition to being able to find information on each food outlet on campus — like costs, operating hours, type of cuisine and whether residence meal plans apply — website users can now view each of the outlets placed on a map of campus. It shows users their location and the outlets closest to them and aims to help students easily weigh their options when deciding where to eat.
“There's actually over 100 places to eat on the entire UBC campus. I think that's something that a lot of people are unaware of or don't appreciate,” said Sepehr Kamal, one of the co-founders of Campus Nutrition.
“You can use it to find a place to quickly grab a bite to eat while you're going from one class to another. If you’re on campus late at night and you need to know what cafes are open to study at or if you want to go out for drinks on the weekend with friends — these are all things that are really easy to do using the map.”
The idea for the interactive map was largely based on the UBC Food Asset Map created by UBC Social Ecological Economic Development Studies (SEEDS), which included all food-related spaces and programs on campus, like farms, gardens, food outlets and kitchen access. SEEDS’s follow-up study showed that students benefitted from food asset mapping, and that it would be worth further developing the tool.
That’s why Campus Nutrition has chosen to narrow in on restaurants, cafes and dining halls in particular.
Campus Nutrition’s food search feature has seen a few different iterations over the past few years. The organization started in 2019, and has been developing the search tool while also publishing blog posts by student volunteers on campus food-related news and recommendations.
Kamal noted a few other changes to Campus Nutrition’s website also taking place this month, including overhauling the search bar and redesigning portions of the website to make it easier to navigate on mobile devices. Students will most likely be browsing food outlets while they’re on the go, so designing the map feature to be user-friendly and accessible on all devices was a priority.
It also aims to help students make smarter financial decisions, allowing them to quickly view options within their budget.
“I think there is tremendous value in that, in helping students make informed decisions about how to spend their money,” said Kamal.
And food shouldn’t just be accessible — it should be enjoyable too. Kamal noted that many students don’t have very healthy relationships with food, and by creating an easier way for them to explore their options, he hopes to ignite more excitement about food.
“Food is so essential to the student experience. There's this cultural component of it, and if we can help be a catalyst for that, I think that would be awesome.”
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