One of the reasons that I think I’m more disappointed with the delivery of B.A. is that I participated in the student focus group last year to help the school’s consultant figure out what students most wanted from a food service. Honestly, of the options made available, I agree that B.A. was the best hands down if only because of its commitment to relying on sustainable resources and local suppliers. But it also promised to make nutrition a huge priority. Many of the students in the focus group with me responded positively to the idea of healthier options since one of our biggest complaints about Aramark was the how much more difficult it was to procure, say, a vegetable or grilled chicken than it was getting french fries (And Aramark’s idea of vegetarian or vegan = healthy didn’t go over well, either. Seriously, fried tofu is great, but not the best thing you could be eating).
But again, many of our other “wants” in a food service went unmet. Like having at least one on-campus facility open at all hours to accomodate student schedules (my suggestion was a compromise between cost and health–a 24 hour cereal bar that offered a variety of milks, fruits and other add-ins that I’ve heard about operating at other schools, but that was an “ideal” case and I knew when I said it that it’d never fly). Or more consideration for student point budgets since 15 points a day only covered the cost of two meals at 8-9 points a pop, nevermind snacks, drinks or breakfast. I mean, I don’t think we were thinking that big. But honestly, in terms of hours of operation, I see almost no difference between B.A.’s and Aramark and I feel like that’s a let down. As for costs, I’ve no idea how they’re going to price things. But supplanting mocon-style lunches with a la carte almost universally means pricier, with a normal meal consisting of say a 6 point sandwich, 2 point drink, 4 point salad, etc. (If they run things like they ran Vegan, I know I’ll be out of points before November. Xue won’t make it until midterms. If that.)
Anyway, I’m curious as to what you guys think. What do you hope for B.A.? What did you hope for during the contract bidding? In your ideal college setting, what would the food service be like? What would be the best option for Wesleyan? Incoming freshmen and rising sophomores, what do you most hope for a food service given you’re (for better or worse) pretty bound to it?
