Students explore options and wait for their food at Waves Cafe on Aug. 19. Bon Appétit arrived at Pepperdine in early August. Photo by Sammie Wuensche
Bon Appétit, Pepperdine’s new dining service, officially arrived on campus Aug. 1. As students return to campus for the new semester, so do their reviews on the quality of the new dining service.
The proposal process to find a new dining partner began in 2019 as Sodexo’s contract was coming to an end, Chief Business Officer Nicolle Taylor said. Taylor is proud of all the students, staff and faculty who worked with her in this process to find the best dining partner.
“If you ever have those moments where you just find that thing that’s just right for you, that’s Bon Appétit for Pepperdine,” Taylor said.
Bon Appétit designs custom menus for their partners, sources their food locally and cooks from scratch, according to Pepperdine Dining.
“It’s a lot fresher I would say,” junior Ethan Barragán said. “I see them preparing it right in front of our eyes, which I don’t recall [them] doing as much last year.”
Commitment to Community
Taylor said the University knew all seven of the companies in the proposal process had good food and great customer service, but was interested in learning how the new dining service would create a culture that would support the community at Pepperdine.
“They [Bon Appétit] know how much food plays a part in the development of community and our ability to share our stories and to break bread and sometimes that breaks down barriers as we’re having conversations over a meal,” Taylor said.
Pepperdine and Bon Appétit both value commitment to the community, as well as to their employees Taylor said. Bon Appétit’s commitment to integrity and the list of kitchen principles they follow also stood out to Taylor.
Students with Restrictions Navigate Options
Taylor said Bon Appétit understands the importance of nourishment and wants to give an equal experience to those with dietary restrictions.
Bon Appétit’s sustainability commitments are also important to Pepperdine. Taylor said the corporate level of Bon Appétit looks through sustainable options such as food insecurity. She said Bon Appétit also separates organic waste, and they are working with the Facilities and Waste Management Departments to solve the issue of pizza boxes not fitting in every trash can on campus.
As resident advisors arrived on campus in early August, they were the first group of students to try Bon Appétit. Junior Ian Rampton said the food is shockingly better and is higher quality. Rampton, who has been a vegan for over a year and a half, said there are more vegan options.
“It seems like [Bon Appétit] made an intentional effort to have some sort of vegan option,” Rampton said. “The options that they do have, don’t feel like a side thought in the way that they would at Sodexo.”
Some students with dietary restrictions, like junior Madeleine Zilligen, said they believe it is important to have a variety of foods especially for those with serious allergies or restrictions.
“Food that you can eat that can make you feel good is so important, because having an upset stomach the entire class time, that has an impact on your academics, that has an impact on your want to eat, that has an impact on your want to socialize,” Zilligen said. “So it is important that good food is provided — that is a basic human need.”
Zilligen, who is gluten sensitive said Sodexo did have more options for her, but hopes Bon Appétit will have more variety as the year goes on.
Students with allergies or restrictions have to be more cautious about the ingredients in the food. Barragán, who is gluten free and has a shellfish allergy, wants to see warning labels, especially because he said it is hard to know if there is cross-contamination.
“Those with more serious gluten allergies, like celiac, they might not be able to have most of the things in the Caf since a lot of the oils are used the same [and] a lot of the kitchen areas use flour,” Barragán said.
Barragán said he hopes to see gluten free options in the grab-and-go section of the Caf and in Nature’s Edge as was true in the past years with Sodexo. Both Zilligen and Barragán said they are sad to see the gluten free pizza crust is no longer an option.
Looking Ahead
Bon Appétit recommended the idea of feedback forums on Pepperdine’s dining website, and they will work closely with SGA and representatives from the graduate schools to create a feedback forum of student representatives later in the semester, Taylor said. While everything will not be perfect on the first day, Taylor said Bon Appétit is willing to learn from these experiences.
“I really hope that what people do is love the food because it’s great, there’s no question about that,” Taylor said. “I’m not concerned at all about the food, but know that as we go through this transition, help us understand where the opportunities for improvement are but continue to support Bon Appétit.”
As more students arrive on campus, Taylor said her fear is what the lines will look like in the Caf.
“My worry is that the popularity of Bon Appétit, because the food is so good, will mean that we have a lot more people coming into the different food venues — which is the greatest problem you could possibly have,” Taylor said. “And yet it will cause a problem because we have a limited area in the servery.”
Taylor said during the proposal process she discovered 690 transactions are made during a busy lunch time in the Caf. Bon Appétit is looking at ways to improve efficiency and balance it with the speed of delivery. This includes a Grubhub pick up in the Caf so students do not have to wait in line and the additional staff at Starbucks in order to accommodate the long lines, Taylor said.
Bon Appétit also has grab-and-go options in the Lighthouse along with boba. Taylor said they will also be bringing a deli with salad, sandwiches, hot food and sides of food in the Lighthouse. The University is collecting permits through Los Angeles County for construction and plan to open the new deli at the end of the fall semester or after Christmas break, Taylor said.
Zilligen said if the food is delicious and Bon Appétit can prove to be as adaptable as Pepperdine students are, she thinks Bon Appétit can continue as the University’s dining service for a long time.
“They’ve got some yummy food, so that’s the way to college kids’ hearts,” Zilligen said.
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Contact Tanya Yarian via Twitter: @tanya_yarian or by email: tanya.yarian@pepperdine.edu
