Anyone who’s anyone knows just how great Pollock Commons’ buffet is. Heck, some even call it the best breakfast spot in State College.

However, that once-beloved status might be coming to an end.

Recently, Penn State Residential Dining began implementing (or rather, re-implementing) pre-plated buffet options throughout its service areas across campus. At Pollock, this was the norm until it changed over to a full self-service buffet in 2018.

“This semester, our staffing levels kind of got back up to where we felt comfortable that we could go back to pre-plating,” Penn State Residential Dining Assistant Director Geno Corradetti said.

Guests are still entitled to eat exactly how much food they choose, though in some cases, food items will be pre-plated, allowing consumers to grab-and-go as they please. For a meal like breakfast, typical pre-plated items include bowls of tater tots, plates of sausage links, and pancake platters. Other items, such as fruit and eggs, are still self-served at this time.

“Through pre-plating [food], we’re able to reduce the amount of lines in the building, which helps with that congestion,” Corradetti said.

Another benefit of pre-plating, according to Corradetti, is that Dining staff can now “pair” foods together for guests ahead of time. If Pollock were to serve some kind of curry and rice dish, for example, its staff would now be able to combine the two ahead of time, saving time for diners and potentially introducing them to tasty combinations.

Corradetti added that through pre-plating, Res Dining is able to cut down on food waste, encourage guests to eat proper portions, reduce cross-contamination of allergies, and tidy up the buffet’s overall appearance and safety.

In fact, Corradetti noted he and the rest of his staff have already noticed improvements when it comes to reducing food waste in the dining halls.

“We’ve been doing it for a little less than a month now, but we’ve already seen a reduction in the poundage of food we’re ordering for each entree,” he said.

As a Pollock stan and an enormous fan of everything its buffet has to offer, I’m thrilled to see Res Dining working hard to reduce waste, cut down on lines, and make its offerings better in any way it can. However, this particular change might detract from what makes Pollock, well, Pollock.

That’s right, baby. I’m talking about that good ol’ American freedom. Specifically, the freedom to eat whatever I want within the confines of Pollock Commons. That is, in my opinion, the thing that draws me back to Pollock time and time again.

I first noticed the change to pre-plated options a few weeks ago while eating breakfast at Pollock. As usual, I plopped a few scoops of egg whites onto my dish before heading over to where the rest of the offerings were, only to be confused by the food already plated ahead of me. In a somewhat puzzled state, I grabbed a bowl of tater tots and some sausage links and went on my way.

Now, this is the first world problem of all first world problems, but I’ve got some grievances to air with this new system.

Pre-plated food prevents guests from taking what they want. I, for example, wanted a few tater tots with my breakfast (read: not ~20 in a bowl). I feel like putting food out ahead of time can lead to out-of-whack proportions. Twenty tater tots is a lot for one person, but they’re also putting out just one pancake on each plate? Who eats one pancake?

Look, I’m 20 years old. I can decide what, and more importantly, how much food I want to eat, especially at a buffet. I don’t need to have it served to me like a child.

And when food sits out ahead of time, it can get cold rather fast despite those heat lamps trying as hard as they can. Cold meat is a bonafide appetite killer and a crummy way to start your day, and not even annoying freshmen should be subjected to it.

Finally (but trust me, I could keep going), your tray is bound to get heavy with all those dishes piled on top of it. What used to fit on one large plate now takes up three, four, maybe even five different platters thanks to pre-plated portions.

Remember, I’m no expert. I’m just a kid who really, really likes his breakfast buffets. It warms my heart to see Res Dining working so hard to improve its services and (usually) make life easier for the students it serves by cutting down on waste and shortening lines. Still, there’s always a better way.

In the meantime, though, I’ll begrudgingly eat my pre-plated meals at Pollock while daydreaming of a better solution that preserves the innate, blissful freedom that comes with a buffet. Either way, I’m excited to see what Res Dining comes up with next.