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.”
