Taste. Price. Convenience. Any food servicer wants to provide all of these, but it really becomes a struggle when accounting for the amounts of food being served, the budgets that must be followed, and the ability to satisfy the consumer.
Louis Duran, the Dining Services Manager, expresses that he loves working with USFSP, and hopes to maintain a good partnership with the school, for the better of the students, faculty and staff.
“I’m very happy, I love my job, and most of all I love this school. This is one of the most beautiful campuses I’ve ever had the chance to work at” he says, “I’m hoping that Sodexo is in USFSP’s future.”
Ashley Morris, The Reef’s Head Chef, explains that though quantity in the kitchen is a must, quality is still the most important aspect.
“I refuse to feed my students food that I wouldn’t eat myself. I don’t want them to second guess coming to The Reef for a meal. Nothing will replace their mother’s cooking, but I want to take them half way.”
Due to common student complaints on variety, The Reef explains that they are only able to do so much.
“Sodexo has a four-week menu cycle. Every region has it’s own style, but we are somewhat able to tailor it. We are doing our best, but no matter how good our best is, we can always be better,” says Duran
“Per Sodexo, we have to keep to the recipe we are given, though we are able to add a little bit of our style to every dish. This is what allows us to change the seasoning a bit in order to make our students happy” Morris explains, “I try my best to keep my crew on their toes, working efficiently while still making the best food they can.”
Catering Showcase
The team says they care for students so much in fact, that they would never deny anybody food
“I would not turn down a student, if he or she paid for their plan, and forgot their card or is having trouble with it. I recognize familiar faces, and I would not let a student go without eating, even less if they live on campus and are relying on us” says Duran, who believes as long as the student brings a problem to his attention, he will try his best to accommodate them.
“They let me go with a free meal when I forgot my card” says sophomore Wendell Colon, “I really appreciated their understanding.”
Whether it is a lost card or a meal plan complication, students are dealing with these problems and misunderstandings as best as they can.
Junior Andrea Inman, received an email explaining that her meal plan payment was still due, even though she had already paid it. She later came to find out that the email was mistakenly sent to her, and her card was never even cancelled.
“I never went and tried my card, because I was told in the email my meal plan had been cancelled. However, on Monday, come to find out I had mistakenly been sent the email and that my card had been activated the entire time.”
When it comes to the food, some students claim it is not always as appealing. Others notice that Sodexo’s team tries to feed consumers the best quality food: ordering steroid free, antibiotic-free chicken, Florida-grown produce, and the highest quality beef that they can get. During festive days, such as Mardi Gras, and Valentine’s Day, the team decided to treat the students a little, providing such things as red velvet cakes, free ice cream at Red Mango, and crawfish for dinner. All of these are not necessary, or within budget, but the team cares for their students and wants them to enjoy more diversity.
But what about the taste? Many students feel like there is much room for improvement.
“The menu tends to repeat itself, and sometimes the broccoli and soup can be too salty, and on other days, food is tasteless.” says sophomore Monica Edwards
Edwards attends every Food Service Committee meeting, which meets bi-weekly every Thursday.
Duran agrees, “We can do better. We will keep trying to do better, and we will keep training our team, so we can improve in every aspect,” he says, “I appreciate negative feedback, and it will only help us address the issues.”
When it comes to customer service, Chef Ashley says the bar is set high.
“I don’t tolerate bad service,” she expressed “ I wouldn’t eat any place where they didn’t make me feel welcomed, so I expect them to be able to make the costumer happy.”
Sophomore Jordan Luliucci commented on what she thought about the customer service. “There could be more smiling faces. It could always be better.”
Tension is still in the air about the 3.3 percent price increase. Josef Rill, the Assistant Director of Auxiliary Services for USFSP explained this action:
“The 3.3 percent increase is based on the contractual requirements. There is a 1 percent increase to offset expenses, just for this year (year 2 of the contract), the remaining 2.3 percent is based on the US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index for Finished Foods. This amount changes monthly. Per the contract we must adjust our rates annually based on this amount.”
The Reef not only provides for breakfast lunch and dinner, but they also have their own catering services.
Catering Showcase
“Honestly, I took a bite and I didn’t think it was Sodexo” says Josh Cureton, a freshman here at USFSP, about the food he tried at the Catering Showcase last Thursday, February 28th.
An array of foods was on display for students to try, alongside assembled event tables. The purpose: to show students and staff what Sodexo can do for catering.
Edwards and Freshman Crystal Dalrymple were at the showcase, checking out what the catering services had to offer.
“I loved the bacon cheeseburger, and the chips were great. Now the crab cakes, those tasted a little off…” says Edwards “But students also have to understand that they have to get to know the company’s ways before asking for change. Cheeseburgers are great but Sodexo is more focused on serving healthy food as well.”
“I agree with Monica, and I like the catering food, but I can’t say the same for the food that is served daily at The Reef” expressed Dalrymple, “It’s worse than my high school cafeteria food! It needs to be fresher and have a little more flavor.”
They both encourage students to attend the Food Service Committee meetings to express any concerns. They believe the more constructive criticism that is provided, the better.
Junior, and Student Government President candidate, Jimmy Richards agrees it could be better.
“It is only the first semester, out of the five years we have in contract with Sodexo. They’re getting better, and there has been some improvements. They are also very willing to work with us, and are very flexible. I see issues being addressed. If in the future, there continues to be problems, we will address them then, and we hope to get on the same page.”
Photo Credit:
Sodexo Facebook Page & Personal
Alejandra Vera