For as long as universities have fed their young, the poor reputation of campus cafeteria food has spread across the nation like a serving of runny instant mashed potatoes.
The University of Guelph offers students healthful foods, as well as organic and free-trade options. Tess Gibbings is the school's Hospitality Services Ombudsperson.
The University of Guelph offers students healthful foods, as well as organic and free-trade options. Tess Gibbings is the school's Hospitality Services Ombudsperson.
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"The food we get here sucks," said Justin Day, 23, a University of Toronto third-year biochemistry student. "They had a two-week meal rotation and at the end of it, everyone on my residence floor wound up in the bathroom for a couple hours. They always had pizzas and some crappy pastas all the time."
Students are clamouring for more affordable and nutritious options, and they say the three corporations that operate most of the food services at the country's post-secondary institutions — Aramark, Compass and Sodexho — aren't making them happy.
Last year students at the University of Manitoba staged a protest during a town hall meeting concerning contract negotiations with Aramark, which was looking to extend its stay at the school. One student reportedly threatened an Aramark representative physically; he was removed and the meeting was shut down. Shortly afterward, Aramark was awarded a seven-year extension that included vending, facilities management and catering.
Company officials defend their efforts to provide decent food. "The feedback we receive usually is around variety, given the fact that students are on campus three to five days a week and want constant change," said Aramark spokeswoman Karen Cutler. "We have responded to this by strategically planning the dining services and concepts on a campus in a way that allows us the flexibility to change products and service styles as often as our customer base needs us to do so."
But Ms. Cutler doesn't have an answer to why so many students across the country have given Aramark low marks. "All I can say is that we work with the students to meet their needs and preferences, and I don't have anything further to say about that."
Student feedback to meal services operated by Sodexho Canada is often mixed, says company spokesman Jon Kristjanson, but he attributes that to picky, vocal students. "A diverse group of students does create some challenges," he said. "In some cases, there's a demand for items that a physical location doesn't have the capacity for, or can cook. We do work around that through rotational menus, of course."
Today's students are more demanding, he says. "Where we had fixed meal plans with fixed times and fixed locations, students today are looking for the food they want, when they want it, where they want it," said Mr. Kristjanson. "We're adding more flexible options, where instead of going to the same dining hall, they can experience the retail venues on campus as well."
Some schools are experimenting with innovative concepts. The University of Waterloo recently opened the UW Farm Market, a retail effort begun by local farmers and the campus's food-services department to encourage consumption of local foods. Students at the University of Western Ontario can design a salad online and pick it up when it's convenient.
When it comes to consistent quality, however, perhaps few schools do it better than the University of Guelph. With a mandate to provide students not only with healthful options but organic and free trade products, the university's food service program stands out. Students give the service top marks for variety and quality.
Unlike most post-secondary institutions, Guelph runs its own food operation; it hasn't signed a contract with a major provider since the early 1970s.
"The customer is number one, as far as we're concerned. We try to give them what they want," says Dave Boeckner, executive director of the school's hospitality services. "We make our own soups and entrees. It costs a little bit more, yeah, but it's better than cooking out of a box."
"When you're in-house, you have more freedom to focus on the campus community as a whole. When you're run by a company, it's much more financially oriented," said Mr. Boeckner. He says he wouldn't think twice about heading over to Oakville or Elmira to pick up ingredients that students prefer; if it's what they're hungry for, they're going to get it.
Another reason students give Guelph top marks, Mr. Boeckner adds, is the implementation of an ombudsman. This person, who is always a student, gives diners a stronger voice in an area usually glossed over by administrators, says Tess Gibbings, the current ombudsman. "If students want any changes, they come to me," says Ms. Gibbings, a 23-year-old English major in her fourth year. "Extensive surveys give students the opportunity to explain exactly what foods they like and what they don't."
Such input has influenced the design of campus eateries in which such Canadian restaurants as Tim Hortons and Harvey's reside next to stalls cooking up organic entrees for which students wouldn't think twice about paying extra.
"We really find it's a good tool for us," said Mr. Boeckner. "Students are often intimidated by management, and a lot of times they don't understand things, so they're more inclined to go to another student who can help them with their complaints or suggestions. That whole communication piece is really important when you're dealing with students, especially younger ones."
Chad Murray, 23, a third-year criminal justice student, said the food at Guelph is one of the main reasons he has decided to stay in residence rather than live off-campus. "The food is incredible at Guelph. There's tons of variety and the quality is great," he said. "They really cater to the student, and they have made a lot of opportunities to get feedback from students about their food."
"Every day you can have something completely different, which I haven't really seen anywhere else."
