The current food service provider contract is due to expire in June of this year. NIC’s Auxiliary Services division has opened up to applications for a new contract- whether it be with Sodexo, the current provider, or a newcomer: Aladdin Campus Dining.
This information is courtesy of Steven McGroarty, Senior Accountant of NIC’s Auxiliary Services division.
“We have an evaluation committee who reviewed [the applications from providers], and we’ve named two finalists that are each invited to a forum,” said McGroarty.
The current food service provider contract is due to expire in June of 2024
“[The forums are held] with the intent of making a decision on the next food service contract because the food service here is contracted out to a third party. Currently, Sodexo is our operator. They’re our partner, but they are a different company,” said McGroarty.
The forums will be held on March 12th and 13th, at 12p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively, in the Student Union Building and on Zoom.
Sodexo, an international French food company, has been NIC’s dining service provider since 2019. McGroarty says one of the advantages of Sodexo’s partnership is that they have contracts at Gonzaga, Whitworth and Lewis-Clark State College. NIC’s Sodexo can draw on their nearby resources to assist at NIC if they are needed.
Their competition, Aladdin Campus Dining, is something of a dark horse when compared to Sodexo. Most of their partnerships are with colleges on the east coast. They are part of a family of companies under the umbrella of Elior North America, a group of hospitality companies that provide food service for K-12 education, senior living, professional dining and catering.
The nearest institutions Aladdin provides dining services to are: Southern Oregon University in Ashland, OR, Pierce College-Puyallup in Puyallup, WA and Pierce College Fort Steilacoom in Lakewood, WA.
The expectation through the [Requests for Proposals] and the proposals is that they would give every opportunity to rehire those [Sodexo] employees with the new operator
In our previous stories, we have covered Sodexo and its employees at NIC. We asked McGroarty what the outlook for the Sodexo employees we’ve come to know is, should Sodexo be replaced by Aladdin Campus Dining.
“The expectation through the [Requests for Proposals] and the proposals is that they would give every opportunity to rehire those employees with the new operator, should a new operator be chosen” said McGroarty. This means that in the case of a partnership with Aladdin, the Sodexo staff we’ve gotten to know would likely remain.
