SCOTT MILLER
News Assistant
Prices briefly soared in the Waves Café before returning to their previous values last week. When students attended class Monday, Feb. 19, prices on items such as fruit cups, yogurt cups and prepackaged chicken Caeser salads jumped about $2 before Dining Services staff lowered the prices back down to where they were before the increase.
The increase itself was an oversight made by the Dining Services staffs, not an intentional fluctuation.
When the price of a fruit cup reached $4, and the Caeser salad reached $7, students complained to Dining Services, which in turn reviewed the prices and adjusted them.
The fluctuation occurred because the company that supplies on campus Dining Services, Sodexho, was in the process of transition between the former food program concept, titled “Café Fresca,” and the new program concept, called “Smart Market.” The new program is designed to update the Cafe Fresca’s tastes and options for students.
Sheila Koek, retail manager for Dining Services, said the staff would not have caught the problem as quickly had students not notified them.
“The staff just didn’t realize the prices were skewed that badly,” Koek said. “As soon as the students brought it to our attention, we reviewed the prices and put them back to where they were.”
However, the new program came with a set price list from Sodexho, which even altered the prices for items that were being carried over, such as the fruit cup and Caeser salad.
In the midst of the transition and all the information being processed by dining services, the prices were never fully reviewed before the new products were released, Koek said.
“In our exuberance to get the new options to our students, we just made an oversight,” Koek said.
The new program will include new entrees and desserts, as well as expanding Café options out to the satellite locations, such as the HAWC snack bar and the Café Fresca in the CCB.
There will also be a new pizza program that Dining Services will be using as part of the internal transition. The idea, according to Koek, is to reduce boredom with the menu in the Café, as well as to mimic and keep up with national tastes and trends for students.
“We know that students have to eat here,” Koek said. “But what we want is for the students to want to eat here.”
Koek encouraged students to watch for anything out of the ordinary and to notify Dining Services of the mistakes. In addition, Koek said that all prices would now be reviewed prior to new products being released.
Normally when prices are to increase intentionally, the decision is made by a committee comprised of Dining Services staff, as well as university faculty such as Director of Housing Jim Brock in between semesters.
Brock said the two groups get together and go through the menu on an item-by-item basis and make decisions on which product prices to increase, based on market trends.
“Some years there are no increases, and other times there are many,” Brock said. “It just depends on what costs the company [Sodexho] is facing.”
03-01-2007
