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Overview of Dining Options at Cheongju University and Student Opinions

The CheongDae Times trainee reporter Eun-jung shin

As the new semester begins, I would like to introduce the dining options at our school, a topic that freshmen are most curious about and is essential to the college experience. Nowadays, campus dining has evolved beyond mere meals to become an integral part of 'school culture.' Cheongju University offers a total of four dining locations: a student cafeteria, a business college cafeteria, a main faculty cafeteria, and a dormitory cafeteria. To use the meal service, you must purchase a meal ticket directly, and all four locations accept credit card payments.

The dining facilities currently in operation at Cheongju University each have unique characteristics based on their location, operating hours, and menu offerings.

 

The student cafeteria located in Building 38, across from the sports complex, operates from 11 AM to 4 PM, offering the longest lunch hours. A key feature is the option to choose between Korean and Western cuisine, with all menu items uniformly priced at 4,500 won. The next location is the Business College Restaurant. It is situated on the fourth floor of the building located between Buildings 9 and 10, near the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. The restaurant operates from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM. The price of meals is also 4,500 won, and the menu primarily consists of Korean cuisine.

The third facility is the faculty cafeteria, located on the first floor of the main building, Cheongseokgwan (Building 5). It operates from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM. The price is the highest at 6,000 won; however, it stands out in terms of quality as it offers a variety of Korean dishes along with self-service desserts.

Lastly, the dormitory restaurant is located next to the Yejiwon dormitory building. It primarily serves dormitory residents but is also open to all students. Notably, it offers three meals a day, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast is served from 8 am to 9:30 am, lunch from 12 pm to 1:30 pm, and dinner from 5:30 pm to 7 pm. The price is 4,500 won, which is good compared to other restaurants, and a variety of menu choices stand out.

 

Additionally, our university operates the '1,000 Won Breakfast' program. Cheongju University has been selected for the '1,000 Won Breakfast' initiative supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, providing breakfast to students for just 1,000 won. The 1,000 won breakfast program will be held at the faculty cafeteria in the main building. It will operate from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, three times a week during the semester, from March 11 to June 19, 2025. Please note that availability is limited to 45 people per day, and access will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis.

 

The university cafeteria serves hundreds of students each day. So, what do the students really think about the food? I conducted interviews to hear their opinions firsthand.

 

Many students expressed the highest level of satisfaction with the affordable pricing. Kim OO, a student majoring in Aviation Service from the class of 2023, expressed a positive evaluation, noting that one of the significant advantages is the ability to enjoy Western cuisine at this price in the student cafeteria. Meanwhile, Yoo OO, a student from the Department of Library and Information Science, class of 2024, expressed that the kindness of the cafeteria staff was what he found most satisfying. However, the assessment of the school cafeteria was not solely positive. Alongside expressions of satisfaction, there were also voices highlighting areas of regret and the need for improvement.

A student from the Department of Police Administration, class of 2024, CheonOO, expressed a desire for the regular payment system for dormitory meals to be changed to a per-use basis. Park OO, a student from the Class of 2025 majoring in Advertising and Public Relations, expressed a desire for a more diverse menu. Furthermore, YooOO, a student from the Department of Library and Information Science, class of 2024, expressed the opinion that desserts should be offered not only at the faculty cafeteria in the main building but also at other dining facilities.

 

In a recent survey assessing academic satisfaction among our school students on a scale of 1 to 10, the lowest score recorded was 4, while the highest score reached 7, resulting in an overall average of 5.4.

 

School meals continue to be regarded as a cost-effective option for many students. However, to bridge the gap between satisfaction and dissatisfaction, the school must make ongoing efforts to improve. I hope that meals will not be merely sustenance, but rather a source of strength that helps you get through the day. Furthermore, we hope that the voices of students will be taken into account, leading to the establishment of a better school cafeteria culture.