Notes from Sodexo Focus Group Meeting

Here are the minutes as fast as I could get them. I won't say who said what (except for myself), but this covers pretty much everything that was said.

---There's Sodexo food on a buffet table in the corner, and we are encouraged to help ourselves. Everyone has just eaten dinner.

---I won't name names, but the group is composed of about twelve students. A few vegetarians. One with severe food allergies. A few DCGA people.

---Running the meeting are Ron Ralston (Sodexo regional manager) and Kim Bacchetti (Sodexo district manager). Note: Ron is sporting the suavest purple button-down I have ever seen.

---Apparently, this meeting is taking place because they "recognize that Baja Taco is not a long-term solution."

---All of the discussion will focus on Slayter, not Huffman or Curtis. Gee, I was lured here under the premise of talking about the dining situation in general. Nice bait-and-switch there, guys.

---The structure has been decided: They read questions off of a list, we go around the table and answer them one by one.

---First question: What retail brand would you like to replace Baja Taco? There is a resounding call for Panera or Panda Express, with a few other fast food joints thrown in.

---What restaurants do you typically choose when you're on break? People name a smattering of ethnic foods. I say I don't eat at restaurants- I buy groceries.

---What type of food would you like to see added to Slayter? Responses are consistent: healthy, local, organic, Asian. I say grocery items like milk, sliced bread, and boxes of pasta.

---How do we define healthy? Knowing what ingredients are in the food, cutting down on grease and preservatives, smaller portions, less processed stuff, more protein to balance out the huge selection of carbs, a plan without flex dollars so that people won't feel pressured to buy more food. Then they can spend it on...GROCERIES!

---Yay! They finally ask: What kind of groceries? For the first time, we're not searching for words. We rack up a long list: Cooking necessities, grocery staples like milk and cereal, breakfast foods, canned goods, more varieties of fruit, energy drinks, to name a few. The last guy brings up that even if we had all these things, the prices would be ridiculously high compared to similar items at a grocery store. Good point, last guy.

---They open up the floor for questions. Students ask the following:

---How are the prices for Slayter items determined? Question deflected! They say that we should ask the general manager, Becky McAda (I'm completely guessing on the spelling. She's not in the directory.) The meeting's minute-keeper, a catering staff member, chimes in with a straight answer. Apparently, twice-yearly price comparisons are conducted by staff members, and all suggested retail prices must be ratified by the board of trustees.

---What have previous focus groups said? Question deflected! Uh, yeah, follow up with Becky on that one.

---My favorite question of the night: Sodexo avoids the whole religion thing by having a "holiday meal" instead of a Christmas meal...and yet has no qualms about serving a "Hannukah dinner." Why? This also gets my favorite response of the night, from Ron: "Uh, I think that's more of a society thing." Kim follows up by saying that a Hannukah dinner is prepared according to Kosher rules, and is a good way to experience someone else's culture. So Christianity doesn't count as a culture, but Judaism does? Another note: every Jewish student I've consulted about those suspicious-looking latkes says that the Sodexo Hannukah bears absolutely no resemblance to the real thing.

---What would you be willing to pay for a full meal, including a drink? All other answers range from five to seven dollars. I low-ball it at $3. "Three dollars? For a full meal?" says Ron. Well, if I could get my head out of Sodexo's stranglehold and BUY MY OWN GROCERIES, I'd only be paying 75 cents a meal.

---What percentage of foods served in the dining halls are from Ohio? They say, in many words, that both Sodexo and the University trying their best to be more sustainable.

---One student has brought an article about a Sodexo-catered dining hall at another university, which has made various accomodations for students with nut and gluten allergies. Can we expect to see improvements in this area? They say that's certainly something to work on.

---What was your impetus for holding this meeting? They're stumped. The university just asked them to do it. Note to self: Must find out who, and if that person reads the Bullsheet.

---Will students have a say in what establishment replaces Baja Taco? Maybe.

---Will there be another focus group concerning Curtis and Huffman? Sounds good, we'll work on it.

---Them veggies look sketchy. How do you prepare them, and how fresh are they? Why, shipments arrive three times a week, and there are strict "freshness rules."

---I ask for a Christmas present: a cheaper meal plan that doesn't have flex dollars. On second thought, very bad move on my part. Not so sure Santa and I are on the best terms.

---Fruit girl really wants more fruit!

---Ron reminds us that they are simply passing this information along to the administration- the university gets to make the final call.

---Focus group dismissed. We are informed that this is the only time we'll be allowed to take food from an event, so we had better take lots and lots! I consider shoving some chicken and green beans in my pockets, but decide against it. Oooh, is that Diet Coke? Score!


My synopsis: The entire discussion was tightly controlled. They want to what they could do to make us for satisfied with Slayter's food options...not what would make us more satisfied with our food options in general. Their narrow line of questioning makes sense. After all, they're a company trying to make money. But one wonders what their capital motivation to make these changes is, since the structure of the meal plan system forces us to buy their products, and only their products, no matter how low the quality or high the price.

As good marketing people, they want to know how to simultaneously promote the interests of the students (cheaper, healthier food) and Sodexo's interests ($$$). The ugly truth is, however, that our interests are in direct opposition to ours. The less Sodexo monopolizes our food budget, the healthier and cheaper we are likely to eat. But of course, these guys can't go back to their bosses and advocate sacrificing revenue. So they'll pack Slayter with a wider, more nutritious variety of overpriced crap.

I appreciate the effort from all parties involved, but asking "What Sodexo food do you want to eat?" is not the same as asking "What do you want to eat?"

If any one knows whose tree to go barking up, let me know.

Over and out,
Kaitlyn Grissom
Sophomore Editor