Sodexo: "Our Folks Are Our Golden Arches"

There's a new food service in town-and it's looking to overhaul how LSC students eat.

Sodexo, which took over LSC's food service operations from Aramark this summer, plans to make big changes to the dining experience according to Joseph McClain, general manager of Sodexo's operations at the Stevens Dining Hall.

One such change is the introduction of more local food. Sodexo is offering Vermont-produced food in both Stevens and the Hornet's Nest, McClain said. The plan is part of an effort to create a "closed-loop food system," which uses as much local food as possible. Sodexo is also looking to create "name tags" to identify the foods from Vermont.

The number of healthy food options has also grown, with a greater variety of vegetarian and heart-healthy items being added to the menu. Expanding access to allergen-free foods has been a focus for the company as well. An area known as "MyZone" has been created and contains a small fridge which stocks soy milk. Gluten-free bread and other allergen-free foods are also available.

"It's there so people don't feel like second-class citizens," McClain said about the new addition, adding that MyZone will soon feature allergen-free utensils as well.

Students looking to put together healthy meals may want to check out Sodexo's online menus. A feature of the website allows students to choose a menu item and get information on its calorie count and nutritional value. Students can then use this system to plan a meal or an entire day of eating on campus.

A number of physical renovations have been made in the dining hall as well. A salad bar, soup station, and deli counter with a panini maker have been installed near the back of the building, along with a stir-fry station where a cook will sauté vegetables upon request. A dessert station with a Belgian waffle maker now resides near the middle of the dining hall. In the "hot lunch" area near the front of the building, there is a grill along with stations for pizza, international food, and American comfort food.

McClain said renovations will continue to be made to both the dining hall and the Hornet's Nest over the next two years. He added that walls will likely be removed in the dining hall to create a more open, food court-type feel, and a brick pizza oven may be installed, though a final decision on the oven has not been made. A new milkshake machine has already been added to the Hornet's Nest.

Sodexo is also seeking to make its operations more sustainable. These include implementing reusable food containers, working with Northeast Kingdom Trash Company to train the staff on composting, and taking steps to reduce energy use.

According to McClain, Sodexo puts a strong focus on its employees. The company hopes to hire a student to work on sustainability issues and another to assist in marketing.

"We want employees fully engaged," McClain said. "To us, our people are our logo, and that's why we invest so much in them. We tell people, our folks are our golden arches."

Employees agree that the company has treated them pretty well so far.

"...This hasn't been too bad. They're going with the flow," said Pam Lund, a Sodexo deli worker. "We haven't had much bad reaction from the students. I find the setup is much easier to work with now," she said.

All employees participate in daily huddles, where they thank each other for their help. In addition, approximately 90% of Sodexo's employees were hired from Aramark.

"We hate the 'cafeteria' word," McClain said. "We want people to have a better experience."

Some students, however, were a bit disappointed when they returned.

"It seems kind of the same. The dining hall has changed in appearance, but as far as the food, it seems pretty much the same," said Margaret George, a senior studying psychology and human services.

Others were quite pleased.

"The food's a lot better this year. I visited here last year, and the food is better now," said Connor Hunt, a freshman.

 "So far, it's a very positive change. The food is excellent under executive chef Lisa (Romain-Brown)," said Vinnie Moloney, Director of Admissions at LSC. "They have big shoes to fill, though. Aramark did an excellent job serving us for several years," he said.