A controversial Instagram account called Winslow Eats is gaining more popularity on campus as students and Dining Services are vocalizing their opinions.

On Sept. 26, Winslow Eats posted a picture of chicken wings served at Winslow Dining Hall containing a feather.

“Hope everyone is ready for Wing Wednesday,“ read the Winslow Eats post. “This is a boneless wing from last Wednesday that seems to be a bit off, to say the least. Yes, you’re seeing it right, that’s a feather. It’s sad that we have to look through our food to see if it will be safe to eat.”

The creator of the account said they originally started Winslow Eats for fun, but as their account began to grow, it became more of a platform for students.

“Once we started getting a lot of followers and people started telling us their opinions, we committed to the account,” Winslow Eats’ creator said. “We started to identify common trends and issues that we felt our audience could benefit from hearing. We strive to draw attention to these issues, promote change and offer solutions that are helpful to all students.”

Some of the changes Winslow Eats wants to see are a larger variety of healthier food options, fresher food and cleaner conditions.

David Looney, executive director of auxiliary services, said he doesn’t think Winslow Eats is voicing the exact changes they want.

“Their posts aren’t really asking for any specific changes,” Looney said. “They’re sharing a small glimpse of what their experience is. That’s a key piece of why we would like to sit down with [Winslow Eats]… We really just want to do a good job for students and having good feedback helps us.”

Dining Services has reached out to the creators to try to resolve some of the issues the account has addressed.

“These students have a clear opinion,” Charlie Liming, director of dining, said. “We would like to better understand that by talking to them one-on-one, so we can get the objectives and things they want resolved.”

However, Winslow Eats is not interested in meeting because they believe Dining Services are already aware of what changes need to be made.

“I don’t think Dining Services can continue their naive act much longer,” Winslow Eats’ creator said. “It is incredible that they still will not admit they know what the changes should be, considering they spend so much time messaging us, looking at our posts and commenting. At this point, they know what the changes need to be. We don’t need to talk to them, they need to make the changes.”

As Winslow Eats has gained more attention on campus, students have left comments of support of the account, while others have criticized what they’re doing.

“I actually like the Winslow Eats account, because people need to be aware of the issues that go on, such as meat not being cooked all the way through,” Cassidy Brasher, junior from Madisonville, Kentucky, said. “Social media is a strong platform, and I think it should be utilized.”

Brasher also worries about her safety because of her Alpha-gal allergy, which prohibits her from eating mammal or red meats.

“I can only eat turkey, chicken and fish,” Brasher said. “They cannot be prepared together… I was told at the beginning of the semester that nothing was going to be cross contaminate free. Every time I go to Winslow and eat, I fear for my life. One bacon bit, one glove touching roast beef and then touching the turkey I eat could send me into anaphylaxis, which could be fatal.”

Meanwhile, some students do not believe Winslow Eats provides a good representation of all students. Allison Lyman, sophomore from Channahon, Illinois, believes the account has some valid points, but does not agree with the way they are handling the issues.

“I think the Winslow Eats account is a bit unnecessary and possibly harmful for the employees,” Lyman said. “The account intentionally looks for the bad aspects of the school dining hall… For the most part, Winslow does its best to make sure that students are served the best quality… If the individuals behind the account were truly concerned about Winslow’s quality and safety, they would most likely make more of an impact by writing suggestions or meeting with the Winslow staff.”

Liming encourages students to reach out to Dining Services if they have any complaints or concerns.

“We want to enact good and positive change,” Liming said. “If something’s wrong, let me know about it. We want to make the Dining Services for students the best that it can be within the parameters that we have to do that.”

If students have any comments or concerns about their Winslow experiences, they should contact Dining Services.

Daniella Tebib / Staff writer /[email protected]