Saying that Duke should rid itself entirely of ARAMARK Corp. when its contract expires this spring is like saying we need to stop nuclear proliferation. Students have demanded a change ad nauseum over the last three years, and now it is time to stop talking about it and work to find exemplary replacements.
Fortunately, Duke Dining does not have to reinvent the wheel in its search. Two food service providers have made good on providing high quality food at reasonable prices at peer institutions. Now it is time to bring them to Duke.
Meriwether-Godsey would bring a positive change to the Marketplace. Based in Lynchburg, Va., MG is family owned and thus not tied down by stifling corporate protocols, unlike ARAMARK or Sodexho USA. MG's relatively small size, however, should not reflect poorly on its ability to service Duke's East Campus. Its steady growth since 1985 to 27 contracts in 30 locations, including 11 residential campuses, reflects its commitment to food quality first. They do not follow the predatory business models of ARAMARK or Sodexho, which have received poor reviews from students and administrators at various campuses because they prioritize cutting costs and buying out competitors over great food and service.
MG also has a policy of buying local, fresh produce wherever possible and seeks out contracts with local farmers. If you think the Nasher Café, Mad Hatter's and The Refectory are great, imagine an expanded dining hall with a greater variety of options on a daily basis. Finally, if MG's work at other campuses is any indication, it would make Students Against Sweatshops' job a whole lot easier. Not only does MG have experience working with unions, but its employee retention rate is 74 percent-unheard of in the industry.
The ideal replacement for the Great Hall is a larger, national food service provider, Bon Appetit. Like MG, Bon Appetit has a commitment to serving local, high quality foods and has experience at many comparable universities. Ironically, Sodexho ran at least two of those universities-Case Western Reserve University and Washington University-before those schools dumped the contracts in the face of flagging food quality and service. The fact that they switched to a company that adheres to a decentralized, site-specific corporate structure over one that dictates from the top down speaks to mounting evidence that bigger is not better.
Washington University is currently in its eighth year with BA, after renewing the company's five-year contract. According to Marilyn Pollack, Washington University's director of dining services, "We have been very happy with Bon Appetit.. Student feedback has been very positive overall." That's impressive considering that BA's main campus location-the Food Court-serves 3,000 meals a day.
Pollack emphasized that part of BA's attraction has been its commitment to fresh and local foods. The company has a policy of getting as much of its produce from within 150 miles. Furthermore, everything is made on-site. That means, for example, that turkey is carved in the dining area, rather than being shipped in prefabricated.
BA could also easily take over ARAMARK's other contracts, such as Subway and Chick-Fil-A. At Washington University, BA runs all dining operations except for one. Granted, I am not for monopolies and I think competition among various food providers is good, but it is worth noting that BA's near monopoly at Washington does not seem to negatively impact service.
Beth Nochomovitv, director of auxiliary services at Case Western, almost entirely echoed the sentiments of Pollack. While she admits that BA got off to a bit of a rocky start when it first took over from Sodexho a year ago, she noted that the quality of food and service have steadily improved as BA has adapted to the location. "They're working hard to get fresh and local produce," she said. "They do a fantastic job [with meals]. They try very hard to change things up."
Sophomore Neil Ursic, vice president of development for the Undergraduate Student Government at Case Western, said that through his surveys of other campuses, the "food quality [at CWRU] is high compared to most universities." He also noted that many students he has talked to note a "dramatic improvement" in food quality over Sodexho's operations.
Other universities have risen above politics and chosen food service providers with track records of excellence. Meriwether-Godsey and Bon Appetit are two outstanding options to run the Marketplace and Great Hall, respectively, and should be considered here. Nothing less than change is acceptable. Duke students demand it, and Duke students deserve it.
Jared Fish is a Trinity senior and a member of the Duke University Dining Advisory Committee. His column runs every other Thursday.
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