Cold potatoes, watery soda, high prices or whatever their beef, students have one more day to give University food services a spoonful of feedback.
Today marks the third day food service officials will lure diners into expressing their thoughts on University edibles. Using a raffle for a quarter’s worth of Coca-Cola as bait, officials have stationed tables in campus dining spots with stacks of surveys for students to complete.
The 33 questions call for responses about food, beverages, cleanliness and value of school food services products and facilities.
David Kosfeld, a food services employee in Coffman Union’s cafeteria, said he’s witnessed many people filling out the surveys. He said the 2-month-old transition to Aramark Corp. management has been a little rough.
In January, Philadelphia-based Aramark took over the operating responsibilities of the school’s food services. Minor menu alterations and employee transfers have occurred in the last two months. But this summer the company will begin physical face-lifts on campus dining sites.
“As an employee, I seem to get more complaints as to the food quality than before,” said Kosfeld, who has worked in Coffman for more than a year.
He said food quality diminished when the corporation took over, but that it is starting to improve.
“It’s a matter of taste,” he said.
Doug Hubbard, a district manager for Aramark Campus Services, said the survey is a routine tool used by Aramark at other colleges and universities they serve.
“The University has a real strong sense of its own community, a strong sense of what it wants,” he said. “We’re trying to create our own consultative process so that students and users of our services have a way of participating.”
Students filling out the survey Wednesday ranged from those who wanted a chance in the raffle to those who have issues with food quality.
“I come to Coffman everyday and it’s the same old greasy crap,” said senior Laura Heinz, who grabbed a survey to complete during her meal. “There’s no variety in food.”
The psychology major said she has seen no change in quality since the Aramark transition and would like more health food options on the East Bank.
Survey results will be tabulated on a computer, then sent back to University Dining Services in about a month, Hubbard said. The department will then analyze the information for problems and successes in food services quality.