Jason Griffin has owned Calios for two years and said he has asked to be on Auxiliary Services’ GET Food program since his first week owning the business.

However, Griffin’s requests have been denied.

Currently, Domino’s Pizza, Oswego Sub Shop and Wonzones Calzones are the only restaurants that participate in GET Food, which allows students to spend their dining dollars on the food from these businesses. Students can use their dining dollars at Fajita Grill these restaurants, also deliver to the Oswego State campus.

Griffin said he is certain that Calios would be an addition to the program that students would appreciate.

“Every week we receive a major outcry of students asking why we’re not on [GET Food],” Griffin said. “Students should voice their opinion since it is their money.”

Steve McAfee, the director of cash operations and catering for Auxiliary Services, said the board of directors is in charge of making the decision to expand the GET Food program. This year, the board has made no recommendation to expand the plan.

“They’ve been happy with where we’re at with the number of vendors we have,” McAfee said.

The board of directors is composed of 18 individuals: nine students, three alumni, three faculty and three staff members. McAfee said the student representation includes every class year, a multicultural component and a senate member representative.

While McAfee is still looking for a Chinese food vendor to add to the plan, he said Calios “doesn’t fit the need,” since there is already a restaurant on the program that sells calzones. McAfee has not received feedback from students asking for Calios to be added to the plan.

“Students do a great job of giving feedback on this campus of what they like and what they don’t like,” McAfee said. “So not having it, tell me why there’s a need for a change.”

Calios was on the program, then called Web Food, from 2008 to 2009 when the restaurant was called Zonies. The restaurant was removed from the plan because they had some problems with health code violations, according to McAfee.

McAfee said he is hesitant to expand GET Food very rapidly. The restaurants currently on the plan are well established businesses. Domino’s Pizza has been part of the service for 15 years. Oswego Sub Shop has participated for 12 years.

“If we open it up to everyone, you would see that the service levels wouldn’t be the same,” McAfee said. “We offer students a level of protection.”

The cost of the meal plan would also rise if GET Food was expanded to include more businesses, McAfee said.

Griffin said Calios is invested in the city and the college community. Calios currently advertises with WTOP to help support the college.

“I think it’s crazy that none of those restaurants are giving back and we’re willing to but we’re not allowed on,” Griffin said.

If Calios becomes part of GET Food, Griffin said they will donate $1 of every calzone sold for the first semester through GET Food to the Oswego High School athletics program.

“The college giving to us means that we’re able to give back to the community,” Griffin said.

McAfee said he receives 60 to 70 requests from downtown restaurants asking to be on the GET Food plan every year but that the program remains exclusive.

“I think it’s great that he’s willing to support the community, but he can certainly do that without us,” McAfee said.

Calios businesses currently operate in eight college towns in New York. They are on every campus’ GET Food equivalent, except at Oswego State. Griffin said he wants to give students more options of restaurants where they spend their dining dollars, but he is reliant on their feedback to be considered to be added to the GET Food plan.

“Unless students voice their opinions, I’m really not optimistic,” Griffin said.

Some students feel that putting Calios on the GET Food program is an exorbitant addition since there is already a restaurant available that provides similar food options in Wonzones Calzones.

“We already have a place to get calzones,” said Naomi Rodriguez Jose, a sophomore. “They should have a different variety of food instead of having two of the same type of place.”

Mohamed Magassouba, a junior, said he would still choose Wonzones Calzones as his favorite restaurant on GET Food. Magassouba said he orders a steak and egg calzone every two weeks.

“One calzone place is enough,” Magassouba said. “There’s only one pizza place, only one sandwich shop.”

Emily Curiel, a freshman, said two calzone restaurants on GET Food could be useful for students.

“[Calios] could be open different hours,” Curiel said. “If you’re hungry and one restaurant isn’t open, why not have the other one be open at that time?”

Curiel, who orders food through GET Food once or twice a week, said she would also like a wider variety of options available, including a Hispanic or Spanish restaurant.

Griffin estimates Calios will bring in an additional $200,000 in revenue if they are on the GET Food plan.

Students are able to voice their opinions and suggestions by emailing McAfee, leaving a comment card for Auxiliary Services or directly through the GET Food site.

“Our focus in this program is to respond to our customers’ wishes,” McAfee said. “Based on the feedback we have received, Calios is not in the mix of that.”