Who Moved My Cheese?
Rumors have been circulating at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside about our food provider Sodexo and possible budget issues. It all started when they did not put cheese out at the buffet for a taco salad.
Angela Jensen, the general manager of Sodexo’s Parkside location, points out that our program is not all-you-can-eat like most other campuses. Sodexo has recipes for each meal that are used to calculate the price, and the taco salad recipe simply does not include cheese.
“I don’t want customers to feel like I’m nickel and diming them,” said Jensen.
Jensen’s solution to the problem is to add cheese to the salad and raise the price by 20 cents. Double portioning and failing to account for condiments and toppings like cheese would cause prices to rise across the board. They also use different colored plates to help cashiers keep track of what is being sold to keep prices low.
The transition from Aramark to Sodexo at the beginning of this year took some time for staff to get used to. Among the many changes are new touch screen computers at the cash registers and a stricter safety auditing program.
Product availability varies and Sodexo constantly tries to keep up with student comments and requests, but they occasionally run out of things like any restaurant or convenience store. For instance, the Subway in Wyllie Market now serves breakfast and skim milk was recently introduced at Brickstone Grill and Eatery. Hours were also extended Monday through Thursday at Wyllie Market and Molinaro Joe’s.
Some menu items that have been added because of customer requests are tacos, burritos, chicken wings, and other specials. New limited time offers include a featured sandwich of the day and more Café Creations choices. The Den has introduced new menu items and became flexible to accommodate requests for root beer floats and ice cream sandwiches.
“Anything I can say yes to I’ll do,” said Jensen, reminding students that they should continue to offer suggestions, though “some things are do-able and some things aren’t.” There are comment cards located at Brickstone Grill and Eatery, and Angela is always willing to talk directly to students.