In 1982, Fairfield’s administration met to narrow down their five options for food service providers. After intensely debating between the two final companies, Sodexo was chosen over Saga Dining Services. Over 30 years later, Fairfield is beginning the process to renew the 10-year contract that has been in place since then.
Fairfield announced that the food service contract with Sodexo is out to bid and a new contract will be instated for the 2014-15 school year.
Assistant Vice President of Administration and Student Affairs James Fitzpatrick was involved in the 1982 decision and identifies a significant difference between then and now.
“Thirty years ago, I felt very comfortable that the university administration could handle this process on our own. The food service industry, specifically college dining, is really now a complex animal,” Fitzpatrick said.
To select a new food service provider, Fairfield is working with The Rochelle Group Ltd., a consulting firm that deals with college and university dining operations and specializes in Quality Assurance programs and contracted dining.
Along with this group, students from different campus organizations will be asked to give their opinions on Fairfield dining services.
“This is a great time to have the food contract out to bid, especially with all the transitions the university has decided to make,” said FUSA President Alex Long ’14. “To see the administration acting on one of the most pressing issues over my years here — and I’m sure many before me — brings a sigh of relief to our organization.”
The process will begin the week of Oct. 14 and Fairfield hopes to announce the successful bid company by March 1.
While there has been some controversy recently regarding Fairfield dining services, the administration explained that this process has not been implemented for a specific reason.
Fitzpatrick said, “There’s nothing that has occurred that prompted us to push a panic button and say, ‘We have to do this.’”
Sodexo was informed about the food contract bid in early September, meaning that every dining event and update planned for the year was decided on before they knew about the potential change.
Sodexo’s General On-site Manager Bryan Davis explained Sodexo’s outlook by saying, “Our goal as the dining partner on campus is to approach our services with a mindset of continuous improvement. We don’t wait for a contract to expire to make improvements; rather, we take a strategic look at our operation each year and plan ongoing changes to keep our program and our team fresh.”
The process of finding the right dining company for Fairfield has many aspects. It begins with The Rochelle Group providing an assessment based on observations and interviews with students, faculty and administration. They will also review operational data.
The information will be summarized in a report, which will become an outline of what Fairfield is looking for from potential food service providers. Companies will then present to a selection committee.
“Although a formal Request for Proposal process can be stressful and challenging; in the end, it presents an opportunity to take a step back and take an objective look at our operations, and the potential options for what the future can be,” said Davis.
While many have a positive outlook on the change, there is another aspect that must be considered: the workers.
The union that represents Sodexo’s hourly staff, Local 217, will be informed throughout the process. Once a decision has been made, Local 217 will work with the selected company to “insure a fair transition to the food service provider who has been awarded the Fairfield University account,” according to Ted A. Mayer, vice president of The Rochelle Group.
The selected company will be permitted to interview management staff from Sodexo to “determine if there is mutual interest in beginning a new employee relationship with the new food service provider.”
This factor seems to be the most unsettling part of the potential change.
“What students don’t understand is that Sodexo has two parts: the suppliers of the food, and the employees that prepare the food. The part I would be upset over is having to see all of the employees go. They are all great people who really do care about the students and bring a great source of energy to Barone,” said Beth Greenwood ’15. “Being a person with a food allergy, I know firsthand how helpful, understanding and trustworthy they are.”
According to Davis, the workers should not be concerned about losing their jobs.
“We work hard to communicate how the process works and to keep everyone informed so that there are no surprises. In the end, the dining team can be assured that their jobs are secure.” He continued, “Typically in these situations, the front line team jobs are not impacted no matter what the outcome is.”
Fitzpatrick agreed, saying, “I would be very surprised if, for whatever reason at the end of this process we were going to a new company, I would suspect that the overwhelming majority of union workers would probably be retained by the new company. Regarding the administrative contract staff, that’s really going to be an individual decision between the worker and the company that was successful in the bid if Sodexo is not successful.”
While Fairfield’s dining service will be transitioning, Sodexo and the administration explained that their focus will remain on the students. Despite mixed reviews from the student body, many are content with the current food provider.
Freshman Nolan Parsley stated, “Sodexo is what gets me through practice every morning because I know that I get to have a great breakfast right after. It’s a good variety of meals and I’m always looking forward to the many flavors of ice cream.”
Throughout the remainder of the school year, the process will be on-going and the announcement in March will be highly anticipated by many in the Fairfield community.
Davis explained that despite some uncertainty, Sodexo is prepared and excited to participate in the selection process. He said, “We understand the impact that dining has on the campus culture and the role our meals have on student health and wellness and success. We take that responsibility very seriously. We recognize that contractually, we are a guest on campus and that we need to earn our place every day through great food and great service.”
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