Food for thought
illustration by Maria Rondon
U of O Food Services looking to improve what’s on the menu
FOR FIRST-YEAR international studies and modern languages student Jacklyn Pearson, the cafeteria isn’t just where she grabs lunch: it’s her kitchen away from home. Like Pearson, many first-year students rely on the food services offered at the University of Ottawa while living in residence.
“It’s OK. I’ve heard from a lot of friends who are at different universities that their meal plans are a lot better,” said Pearson. “I’ve heard ours is at the lower end of the spectrum as far as how good the food is and what’s offered.”
Pearson hasn’t been the only one to give a poor review. In the 2009 Globe and Mail Canadian University Report, the U of O received a “D” in the category food services, making the U of O one of the worst universities in Canada when it comes to eating on campus.
In an effort to improve the low grade, U of O President Allan Rock has organized focus groups to find out what students think. Earlier in January, Rock visited students in residence on two occasions and invited them to share their ideas for improvements.
“The students in residence were very happy that they’re not obligated to take the meal plan because it gives them more options, but one of the ways that many universities keep their costs down is by having a compulsory meal plan,” said Rock in a Jan. 13 interview with the Fulcrum.
“Maybe if the food was good enough, people wouldn’t mind having a compulsory meal plan,” he continued.
The Food Services Advisory Committee (FSAC) has worked since the ‘70s to identify the university community’s food-service needs and the best way to meet them.
This is done by evaluating official suppliers’ service quality and product prices; putting forward ideas and recommendations for renovations, expansion, relocation, closing, and opening of food-service outlets; recommending possible food-service concepts and formulas; and advising the university administration on the appropriateness of the food services provided and recommending special measures when needed.
The committee is composed of several university community members, including Student Federation of the University Ottawa (SFUO) VP Finance Roxanne Dubois and Graduate Students’ Association Student Life Commissioner Guillaume Lemieux.
According to Rock, none of the recommendations ever made by FSAC suggested changing the current Chartwells supplier.
One of the recommendations Pearson felt might be useful for students is to have the cafeteria open later because of the diverse range of student habits.
“As [students], we stay up until 4:00 a.m., and our daily cycle changes, so we’re hungry at those hours ... that would probably help,” she said.
Overall, Pearson feels that the cafeteria is just mediocre.
“I think it’s okay. I would say our cafeteria is just average in general; it’s nothing special,” said Pearson.
The mission to improve food offered on campus has been an on going issue for several years. According to the Feb. 8, 1996, issue of the Fulcrum, the U of O was looking into making improvements to the cafeteria and had a survey completed by a private firm for the university’s Material Management Services, It found that, “of the professors and students polled, the main reason why many do not use the cafeteria on a regular basis is that they do not feel they are receiving the quality they deserve for the prices they are paying.”
“What is clear in Maclean’s and [National Survey of Student Engagement] surveys is that [U of O] Food Services ranks very low, and we have nowhere to go but up,” said SFUO VP University Affairs Ted Horton.
“One of the best things we can do to improve food services is move away from a monopoly model, where Chartwells provides food across campus, and towards a mixed-provider system that allows contracts to be tendered for every outlet,” he continued.
According to Horton, the higher-ranked food services at other Canadian universities tend to have in-house (university-run) or mixed (many provider) systems, and this competition between providers encourages quality and value.
Not only are there initiatives to improve the quality of food, but, according to Horton, there is also a special working group researching a program known as the “OneCard”—a project of the SFUO in conjunction with the administration and Food Services that would offer students one card to use as payment at a variety of outlets on campus.
“We’re working to have one card that can serve for meal plans, all food providers on campus, printing, library use, and more,” said Horton. “In the future, it could also coordinate with [the] OC Transpo and STO systems.”
Food Services Manager Patrick Genest is part of the most recently formed workgroup that is endeavouring to improve food service. He explained that the subcommittee of the U of O administration was assembled in July 2009. According to Genest, a presentation was made to the FSAC in December with a detailed report, containing 23 recommendations for improving food services on campus. The main recommendations in the report included considering a 24/7 retail food operation, introducing a campus OneCard, having the meal plan open to more choices on campus, and considering an all-you-can-eat residence dining lounge. There will be another food committee meeting in March. If the new report is accepted at that meeting, it will then go to Rock for approval.
Genest highlighted one of their latest projects involving the Jazzy Café located in the Unicentre, which is now offering a buffet-style breakfast.
“We’re experimenting with that, and we’re finding that the Jazzy’s is becoming a really good option for people because people like having the value for money,” said Genest.
“We’re seeing a want and a need for a buffet- style restaurant,” he continued. Genest also explained that the new café in Lamoureux Hall, which opened Jan. 18, is also doing well.
“What we’ve gotten from that from students is rave reviews of the new selections,” noted Genest.
When considering the improvement of food services, Genest views it as an ongoing project.
“It’s a long-term process. You can’t change food services overnight.”
We, as undergrad students, desperately need an affordable (MUCH cheaper than the caf), healthy (lots of fresh veggie and meat entrees), and convenient way to feed ourselves while on campus. This is especially important to those students who live off-campus and cannot return home for meals, but is also imperative for the health and well-being of those students who live in residence.
While the gourmet salad station (wild greens) in the caf is exemplary in its variety, nutritional value and popularity, and is by far the best food option in the entire university, it falls short on many levels. First of all, during peak periods, it needs to be better managed (one person is never enough). By adding two people, salads can be made much faster. The addition of a dishwasher will also drastically speed up the process. Although the options are amazing, the salad only comes in one size, and that size is BIG. If at least 2 sizes were offered (one big and one small), students would be more likely to pick up a healthy salad as a snack, or along with a main course. Soup-and-salad deals would also be greatly appreciated. The price also greatly needs adjustment, as many students cannot afford to spend $7 or more on a salad, and instead choose a greasy hamburger for half the price.
The salad is not the only grossly overpriced item in the caf. Everything is over-priced, the the ready-made items are disturbingly so. A miniature 'caeser' salad should not cost more than $1.50, especially on a student budget.
I find myself eating at the caf more for convenience than anything else, when I have no other options. The same thing applies to all other food places on campus. The university food is not particularly tasty, nor nutritious, and it the furthest thing from affordable. The university should take the food issue into its own hands, and provide an array of healthy, delicious and affordable food choices all over campus. The aim should not be to make a profit, but to break even while satisfying students, both physically and emotionally.