Students who have been craving the crunch of their favorite snacks at Take 5 and Outtakes will soon be satisfied.
The stores stopped stocking Frito-Lay brand chips at the beginning of the semester and gave students a lesser-known alternative, the Utz brand.
David Heidke, director of LSU Dining, said the dining department had an issue with its Frito-Lay supplier, leaving the on-campus stores without potato chips to offer.
They began stocking bags of chips from Utz Quality Foods, a company based in Pennsylvania, and Heidke said he got a mostly positive response.
“It seems to be pretty popular with the kids,” he said.
But some students weren’t happy about the switch.
Political science sophomore Kraig Buchanan said he noticed the change when he returned to campus after the winter break. Buchanan said he asked an employee at the store and she told him LSU Dining couldn’t maintain its contract with Frito-Lay.
He was disappointed because he was unhappy with the alternative.
“I had never heard of Utz brand chips, nor did I like any of the flavors they offered,” he said.
Fortunately for those who have complained, Heidke said LSU Dining has resolved its issues with the supplier and will begin restocking Frito-Lay chips in the next few weeks.
Caroline Schaff, English freshman, said she was fine with LSU Dining stocking an alternative, but she isn’t a fan of Utz chips.
“I don’t have a problem with buying off-brand,” she said. “But the chips they have now taste nothing like the real thing.”
Heidke also said he’d look at the sales records for Utz chips to determine if the items will eventually share a shelf.
 
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Contact Rachel Warren at [email protected]