2008 Woodie Awards
Sodexho food service contract open to rebid
Luis Lopez, Staff Writer
Issue date: 2/20/07
Last Updated: 8/9/07
With a current contract rebid on the horizon, there is a chance Sodexho may not be back next fall.
Associate dean of students Dick Mandeville said the decision on a date for the rebid will be reached as soon as possible, before the student body leaves in May.
Jim O'Brien, the general manager of Sodexho Campus Services, said the last rebid occurred about seven years ago.
The same competitors who were around then are currently challenging Sodexho.
"The competitors at that time were ARA, Aramark, Bon Appetite, which is now part of a larger company called Compass. Compass was a large competitor last time around," O'Brien said.
If Sodexho were not awarded the rebid, all the employees would be eligible for rehire by the new vendor, O'Brien said.
"The management employees would not be eligible for hiring by another vendor," O'Brien said. "They would lose their jobs or go to work elsewhere with Sodexho. The hourly employees would have the chance to apply for jobs with the new company. If they were hired, it would probably be under a different benefit package and at a different wage."
O'Brien also explained that allowing independent contractors onto campus would be up to the college to decide.
Recently, Sodexho completed upgrades in the dining hall in response to a survey conducted by ASWC last month.
The survey was conducted on January 15 by 18 ASWC student leaders collecting data from approximately 400 students, both on-and off-campus.
The survey listed what students were satisfied with in the dining hall and in venues outside the dining hall, as well as improvements and suggestions for food services.
Among the things that students liked included the variety of the food in the Café, organic food products and a variety of seating and eating options in the HUB.
Among the concerns raised by the students ranged from better vegetarian options, less use of sodium in food and overall healthiness of the food.
Sodexho addressed the concerns students raised and promised to try to keep meeting student demands.
One new addition just added last Thursday was an option for Chinese food in the Café.
Associate dean of students Dick Mandeville said the decision on a date for the rebid will be reached as soon as possible, before the student body leaves in May.
Jim O'Brien, the general manager of Sodexho Campus Services, said the last rebid occurred about seven years ago.
The same competitors who were around then are currently challenging Sodexho.
"The competitors at that time were ARA, Aramark, Bon Appetite, which is now part of a larger company called Compass. Compass was a large competitor last time around," O'Brien said.
If Sodexho were not awarded the rebid, all the employees would be eligible for rehire by the new vendor, O'Brien said.
"The management employees would not be eligible for hiring by another vendor," O'Brien said. "They would lose their jobs or go to work elsewhere with Sodexho. The hourly employees would have the chance to apply for jobs with the new company. If they were hired, it would probably be under a different benefit package and at a different wage."
O'Brien also explained that allowing independent contractors onto campus would be up to the college to decide.
Recently, Sodexho completed upgrades in the dining hall in response to a survey conducted by ASWC last month.
The survey was conducted on January 15 by 18 ASWC student leaders collecting data from approximately 400 students, both on-and off-campus.
The survey listed what students were satisfied with in the dining hall and in venues outside the dining hall, as well as improvements and suggestions for food services.
Among the things that students liked included the variety of the food in the Café, organic food products and a variety of seating and eating options in the HUB.
Among the concerns raised by the students ranged from better vegetarian options, less use of sodium in food and overall healthiness of the food.
Sodexho addressed the concerns students raised and promised to try to keep meeting student demands.
One new addition just added last Thursday was an option for Chinese food in the Café.
For this reason, The Whitworthian asks readers to be responsible and respectful in any comments posted. The responsibility for statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not the whitworthian.com. Readers are also encouraged to report questionable comments by e-mailing editor@whitworthian.com.
Be the first to comment on this story