As a seven-year vegetarian, I know that finding a place to eat with good vegetarian options is a pipe dream. But I figured UK’s campus would do its best to cater to different dietary needs. Unfortunately, after going to many of the restaurants on UK’s main campus I’ve found that I’m better off bringing my lunch.

As an off-campus upperclassman, I decided to limit this assessment of UK vegetarian meals to restaurants on the main part of campus.

This excludes Blazer, Commons and Ovids — If I’m going from class to class, chances are I do not have time to gallivant across campus to a buffet where meal swipes are the norm. These places may have better options, but for someone in my position it is an inconvenience.

The first thing I noticed about almost all of the campus restaurants is if I want a hot vegetarian meal, I better hope I’m in the mood for either a Firenza panini or a grilled cheese. Every restaurant that offers vegetarian meals offers a Firenza panini, while grilled cheeses are a rare treat.

While I have nothing against a Firenza panini, I would love to have more versatility in my sandwich options. Only Blue Chips Café offered a Caprese panini (a mozzerella, basil and tomato sandwich), which I know is a very popular option among vegetarians and meat-eaters, alike.

Although I applaud UK’s campus for trying something new, a pretzel bun combined with pesto aioli is not something I would go out of my way to ever try again.

I’ve been a vegetarian for a long time, but I have to admit, my ears still perk at the offer of a fresh green salad. But a salad is such a cop-out. When a restaurant hasn’t given any thought to vegetarians, they put a salad out as a consolation.

Some of the nicest places have served me some of the worst salads. UK has been no exception. I have zero incentive to spend my money on half-dead salad leaves, like the ones I’ve gotten from UK dining.

Only Ag Deli allowed for the customization of a sandwich, where the non-meat-based toppings included hummus, a popular item for both vegetarians and omnivores. Why can’t more restaurants do the same?

I challenge UK to offer more foods for vegetarians. Meat eaters are given amazing options for food, like this Chick-fil-A I hear so much about. I can’t be the only one on campus who would love to see more vegetarian options. What harm would there be in opening an all-vegetarian on-campus restaurant?

To be a healthier campus – like we strive to be – shouldn’t we open the door for more healthy options? With UK’s decision to privatize campus dining, this is the opportunity to open up the door to the possibility of more vegetarian options. I hope UK will turn the doorknob.