Sodexho expands dining options
Sodexho has added new facilities and improved current food selection based on feedback from students.
By Bill Morrison
Staff Reporter

Napoleon said an army marches on its stomach. The same can be said for college students, who are always looking for a good meal.

Richard Flores, general manager of Sodexho School Services, said the company is trying to get more student input on what food is being served. After hearing what students wanted from last year’s student government dining services committee and a town hall meeting, Flores said Sodexho has made changes based on what students asked for, adding new facilities and improving the menu options.

“Our part is still focused in on what the chancellor’s vision is, which is the air of inclusiveness on campus and he sees (dining facilities) as a place for students to come together,” Flores said.

One thing that was very high on the student’s wish list were more facilities on the east side of campus, Flores said. Last year the east campus only had two dining facilities, the Sub Connection and Bistro Burnett. This year Sodexho has added Jazzman’s Cafe and replaced Sub Connection with Café à la cart.

Jazzman’s is scheduled to open next month in the lower level atrium of the William E. and Jean Jones Tucker Technology Center and offer Seattle’s Best Coffee, prepackaged subs and salads, soup and fresh baked goods. He said the cafe will have jazz music playing in the background and be more upscale and serve a higher quality of food.

Sub Connection, which was located in Tandy Hall, will be moved into the new Sarah and Steve Smith Entrepreneurs Hall when it opens on schedule in the spring, said Legia Abato, Sodexho Marketing Manager. In the meantime, Abato said, the Café à la cart will provide fast meals for students on the go. She said the cafe is a self-contained kiosk area that will offer prepackaged sandwiches, fresh fruits, baked goods, coffee and cold drinks.

“It’s designed as a place where on their way to class students can pick up a meal real fast and don’t have to wait for it to be made,” Abato said.

Colin Philips, junior accounting finance major, said the kiosk is convenient and its location is good, but the food isn’t that

affordable. He added that the food isn’t as good as the fresh subs that were made in Sub Connection and there is less variety.

In addition to adding new facilities, Sodexho is also revamping the old ones, Abato said. In The Main, Sodexho added a new display case for fresh baked goods and pre-made take home meals. Fabian Morice, a junior kinesiology major, said he appreciates the fresh fruit in the Main since they have added pre-made fruit and yogurt cups.

Flores said another improvement is the addition of convenience items and more pre-made meals at the Pond St. Grill. He said in last year’s town hall, students from the Worth Hills area said they wanted more items so they didn’t have to walk across campus to The Main. Kenny Lumadue, a sophomore business marketing, said the improvements made to the Pond St. Grill make it more like Frogbytes.

The Bistro has also been improved with the addition of deli sandwiches to the menu, Flores said.

Abato said more improvements are in the works including an open-mic night at the Pond St. Grill, which will soon offer barbecue similar to what can be found at local restaurants such as Risky’s BBQ and Railhead Smokehouse, she said.

She also said Sodexho will hold more town hall meetings and get input from the dining services committee to continue improving service and providing what students want.