College students share disappointing quarantine dorm meals on TikTok

Is a chicken Caesar salad even a meal if there's no lettuce, no croutons and, oh yeah, no chicken? Well, students at New York University don't think so either.

Many international and out-of-state students took to TikTok to share the bleak food deliveries they've received over the last three days as they quarantine in dorms for two weeks as mandated by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Ricardo Sheler, 17, told ABC News his first meal delivery was "kinda funny" and apparently his TikTok followers agreed because the video of his "salad" has racked up over 315,000 likes.

"My mom was there when it was delivered and she was elated to find out it was a chicken Caesar salad, which is at least a healthy option. But we had dinner together so I put it in the fridge for the morning," he explained. "They only delivered one breakfast to me and my suitemate so we had to alternate meals -- I gave him breakfast and I got the 'salad.'"

"I pop it open on my bed and I’m just confused, thinking I had accidentally put some weird food accommodations on my account," Sheler continued. "But then I realized no food accommodations entail me only being able to eat chips, apple and vinaigrette. I just laughed about it and then made the video, but was also annoyed because I wanted to eat."

The incoming freshman, who plans to study sustainable urban environments at the engineering school, said the university has acknowledged there was an issue with the food vendor but hopes the school will do more to rectify the problem.

"If NYU expects to uphold the operational integrity of a wide-scale quarantine, they have to make it absolutely comfortable for the students who’re sacrificing in order to make this school year even possible," Sheler said. "By not doing their part on the catering side, they create material conditions not conducive to people complying with quarantine rules."

He added: "NYU and Chartwells have already made some decent steps such as expanding operational capacity, we’re just hoping on quality and satisfaction of the meals because even when actually delivered they’re not great."

The university, where tuition is nearly $70,000 a year, has responded to the issues, blaming the volume of students' requests.

"We are aware of the students' complaints, which are valid. This is a never-before-tried operation for us and our food vendor, Chartwells," NYU spokesman John Beckman said in a statement. "But it is vital to get it right, and we are disappointed in Chartwells' management of the quarantine meal process. We and Chartwells are correcting the situation promptly."

The school underscored the sheer volume of special dietary requests and the number of students as a notable challenge for large-scale meal deliveries.

"There are over 2,600 students quarantining in our residence halls, and every day they are supposed to get three decent meals. Nearly 20% of the meals are specialized -- kosher, vegan, halal, etc. We recognize that when people are required to quarantine in their rooms by themselves, few things in the day are more important than looking forward to something nice to eat, so this is a particularly regrettable error, and a letdown for our students,” Beckman added.

Other students under quarantine, like Annabelle Skala, who requested vegan meals also shared now-viral videos of their shocking deliveries.

Skala, 18, posted an unboxing of lackluster slices of tofu, an apple, a sandwich roll and a piece of definitely-not-dairy-free string cheese.

"The lack of any sauce or spices really tied it together," she told ABC News with a laugh.

While she said personally "I will be OK" with other snacks and food that she has on hand, but said "what really breaks my heart is the students placing notes on their doors reading 'please don't skip my room, I haven't gotten a meal today or yesterday and I'm hungry.'"

"More than anything else I'm disappointed in NYU," the freshman entering the musical theatre concentration of NYU Steinhardt's vocal performance program said. "As a multi-million dollar institution, they have the resources -- and have had plenty of time -- to organize a solid dining plan for quarantined students."

She called "the lack of care" around dietary restrictions "unsettling," knowing that other students filled out a form before arrival noting necessary dietary accommodations; "whether for religious, medical, moral, or other reasons, and many of us have had our requests completely ignored."

"I honestly think that the entire issue is completely unacceptable and hope that this situation doesn't get swept under the rug after the media attention has died down," Skala said.

A few users shared their seemingly more edible options, like a seasonal watermelon and grilled chicken salad or a steak and cheese salad.

"Things inside my NYU-provided vegan lunch that just make sense," he said over a video of his white paper lunch bag, before revealing another salad fail, another non-vegan-friendly offering: steak salad with cheese.

Many students without dietary provisions received a summery, seasonal option -- grilled chicken and watermelon salad -- which begs the question, does Chartwells understand salad?

Despite the disappointment, the trend that has exploded on TikTok has even inspired some more light-hearted parody content.

One user riffed on the watermelon and chicken option, added a bagel and a glass of warm orange juice, stuffed the "meal" inside a cardboard box and wrote a very fitting message, "bone apple teeth" as a joke.

Hang in there students of New York University, a world of delicious food options awaits mere steps outside your dorms as soon as it's safe to get takeout or dine at a social distance outdoors.