Division of Finance and Administration
Stepping into the Next Century with Sodexho - Week of April 12
Sodexho Presentation Provided by
Sodexho, Inc. Link
When you walk into Palms Dining Center, you may not recognize it - employees working in red and black suits topped off with chef hats, new dining stations offering sautéed foods and hot, fresh pizza, and even traditional lines looking more attractive with upgraded presentation.
After nearly a month of operation, Sodexho, Inc., the leading provider of food and facilities management services in the United States, has begun to assume its role as the provider of VSU’s dining services.
"We are in full transition with our Sodexho partners, and we are all now employees and Sodexho," said Kae Sinkule, director of dining services. "So, now we use Sodexho standards."
The company plans to invest more than $4 million over the next five years in renovations to dining facilities, with over $3 million of those funds directed to the renovation of Palms Dining Center. At the end of spring semester the dining center will close for major renovations and reopen the following fall semester.
Kae Sinkule, director of dining services, shows off a
sketch of the new renovation floor plan for Palms Dining Center.
"Sodexho is doing a really great job of providing us with the support we need to ensure a good transition."
Some of the changes you can expect to see in Palms Dining Center include a retail area housed in the left wing, an outside porch near the bus stop, and a new look to the entire facility. The retail area will feature Jazzman's Café', a coffee house serving specialty drinks and gourmet baked goods, Quiznos, and Salsa Rico, a baja-style eatery serving Spanish influenced foods. As for residential food, the Sodexho Company will bring customized dining called SoCuisine, which features Costomenu concepts based on student's tastes preferences as indicated through surveys.
"After renovations, almost all of the residential cooking will be done at the front of the house with each station having independent cooking ability," Sinkule said. "As soon as you walk in, someone will prepare your food right there in front of you."
Plans for the University Center Food Court include two additional retail food chains: SubConnection and Sky Ranch Grill. The university center will still showcase a buffet line and Chick-fil-A. These renovations are set for summer 2007. The Oasis at the Education Center will be replaced with Einstein's Bros. Bagels, and North Campus will feature an Einstein's Bros. Bagels kiosk.
Eventually, the Sodexho company and dining services would like to provide mobile food carts along the Pedestrian Mall offering on-the-run snacks; however, Sinkule said the mobile cart idea would not be available until further down the line, after everything else on her plate was taken care of.
In addition to the changes of the dining facilities, you can expect to use a different meal plan come fall as well. The Sodexho company will offer three different variations to the meal plan set up, all three equating to $1,400. The first, called the Blazer Plus meal plan, provides unlimited access to Palms Dining Center with an additional $125 in Blazer Bucks. The second, called the 14 meal plan, allows any 14 meals during a week in Palms Dining Center with an additional $225 in Blazer Bucks. Finally, the third meal plan allows any 10 meals during a week in Palms Dining Center with an additional $370 in Blazer Bucks. Blazer Bucks gives you an a la carte option, declining in balance each time you use it.
"I think students will really respond to the a la carte option in each meal plan,” Sinkule said. “They really seem to enjoy that.. Now, students can choose a meal plan that is more in keeping with their lifestyle and the way they eat."
After a long history as a self-supporting enterprise, dining services along with the Sodexho company are now stepping into the next century.
"We are going to continue to be responsive and sensitive to what students do and do not like," Sinkule said. "Nothing is written in stone, we will continue to be flexible with future ideas."
Feature article and picture provided by Heather Harris, Communications Arts intern, Spring 2006.