With their focus on vegan-izing other fast food classics, Odd Burger gives variety to those who are usually stuck to salads.
Campuses now have plenty of food options located around the various parts of their institutions. This food selection ranges from burgers, butter chicken, pasta, burritos, and more.
One of the largest gaps for students on campus comes from a lack of vegan and vegetarian options, with little able to be found further than salads, some of which even include dressings that aren’t included in a vegan diet.
“Especially with our food security referendum coming up, that has been a topic we’ve been talking about; how do we tailor our food that we have on campus to meet the dietary needs of students,” says Fanshawe Student Union President Stephin Sathya.
“Not just being healthy, but actual dietary needs, because we want to be able to serve all students in principle, so we have to think about that.”
This comes as the other major educational institution in the city, Western University, has just welcomed an Odd Burger location onto their campus.
Odd Burger, which is a locally developed vegan food chain, is a 100 per cent vegan plant-based business in the city. They focus on remaking popular fast-food favourites into vegan options.
This includes renditions of everything from Big Macs, Whoppers, chicken sandwiches, and more in an attempt to give those who are vegan and vegetarian an option to still enjoy some of the world’s most popular food choices.
Sathya says that there is a huge demand for a vegan option on campus at Fanshawe and that he and his team have been working on tackling it.
“We want to get a survey out to the students just about food programming, as well as food options in general, out to the student body on campuses to try and get that student voice out there in terms of what they actually want on campus,” says Sathya.
While students are on the hunt for further vegan options on the Fanshawe campus, there may be some contributing factors as to why Western was able to make the jump first.
“Western has a fairly high cost meal plan so there is more money available to spend on Campus,” says Dave Smith, Director of Retail Services at Fanshawe College.
“Our meal plan is limited to only $12-hundred per year for residence students only. I believe Western is in excess of $5-thousand with a lot more residence students on the plan.”
Having other chain locations already on campus, including Harvey’s, Starbucks, Tim Hortons, as well as previously offering such options as Smoke’s Poutinerie, the college itself is no stranger to bringing in local and popular options.
Smith adds though that there are a few reasons why it may be tough right now to get a new project such as Odd Burger up and running.
“Space concerns and cost. Colleges usually bear the expense of equipment and getting the location ready. With the decline in International students over the next few years we will be limited on the need for another food concept unless we replace an existing brand.”
He goes on to say that, even though it seems like a tougher task at the moment, he’s excited by the potential and eager to see how Western’s location progresses.
“I would wait and see how the Odd Burger is received by the Western Students before contemplating this brand,” says Smith.
“Odd Burger should discuss this with Chartwells-Canada in order to reach an agreement to include this brand in their line-up.”
Vegan options are becoming more and more of not just a want, but also a growing need for students attending Fanshawe.
Until a new option, such as Odd Burger is seriously considered, students who are facing these dietary restrictions may have to stick to salads or their own self-made preparations in order to enjoy eating at the college.
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