The Dining of a new age

As The University of Memphis enters its final year under an Aramark contract, officials are preparing for what could bring several new changes to the face of dining services in the fall of 2009.

The new contract will cover every aspect of University cuisine, including everything from pricing and the kinds of food offered to what the meals are served on and what company will be responsible for getting them to The U of M promptly. It will affect not only the Tiger Den, but the new university center and every other dining facility on campus, including Einstein Bros, the Blue Zone and the various kiosks.

The request for a proposal, a 25-30 page document outlining the wants and needs of campus dining over the next 10 years, will be submitted for public bids sometime in the next two months. Once awarded, the contract could be worth $1.5 million in investment dollars alone, though the final worth won't be known for years to come.

Residence Life and Dining Services Associate Dean Danny Armitage is preparing the RFP. He and representatives from across the campus have been working to refine the ideas of student focus groups and employee suggestions into one cohesive plan.

"We have to include everything we want, everything we already know and everything we're looking for in this proposal," Armitage said. "Every detail, no matter how minute, needs to be accounted for so each company and vendor will know how to best meet our needs."

The biggest change could be the vendors themselves. Currently, students enjoy products from Chik-fil-a, Quizno's, Subway and more, but the new contract opens up a multitude of fresh possibilities.

Armitage said The University has considered Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut, Burger King, McAlister's, Arby's, Sonic, A&W and the Panda Express all as viable options.

"It all depends on menus and food costs," Armitage said. "Plus, we're trying to get information so when we talk to those companies, we'll be as informed as possible. You can't have certain chains in the same place, like Wendy's and Burger King, Quizno's and Subway or Chik-fil-a and KFC Express. The companies won't allow it."

Armitage and several University students and officials have met with these companies and others for over four months. The next step, Armitage said, is to meet together as one large group to go over all the presentations and discuss realistic possibilities based on everyone's needs and wants.

"We're trying to take everyone's opinion into account, even if we all can't be at every event."

A major determining factor for Armitage and his group will be the results of a campus-wide survey from last year that polled approximately 500 students, asking them to rank their top national brands.

Sonic came in first with nearly 13 percent of the overall vote, followed closely by Taco Bell, Wendy's and Pizza Hut.

The survey also revealed that students are interested in more soups, salads, Asian cuisine, barbecue and home-style foods.

Healthier options also weighed heavily in students' minds. More than 20 percent of respondents agreed with students Jasmine Jackson and Logan West.

Jackson, a freshman electronics engineering technology major, said she enjoys raw foods and salads but would like to see a greater variety and fewer tempting sweets.

Similarly, West recently began transitioning to a vegetarian lifestyle.

"I haven't had any problems trying to make healthy choices. I've found a lot of options like sushi and veggie wraps, but I would like to see more organic options in the future."

Armitage said the financial and health issues are important.

"We will find a good mix of vendors that bring a variety of price points to the market," he said. "We have to find items that are inexpensive - which is difficult in this market - and provide healthy options. We will be looking at vegetarian and vegan offerings, plus organic in the next (new contract)."

Representatives from several registered student organizations have also been involved, including Student Government Association President Abby Hagan.

"We've been looking at different brands for The UC, taking tours and learning about the process," she said. "It's interesting to see what reasoning goes into making those decisions, like why we can't have certain chains because competing restaurants are too close to campus."

Senior journalism major and former president of the Student Activities Council, Julia Adames, like Hagan, has been involved with the committee for the past six months.

"I'm very optimistic about the whole process," Adames said. "They're really focusing on The UC by making it the bright, new face of The University. Everything from the furniture, the decorations and even this food deal - they want something that'll last as long as The UC will."

Many student representatives, Armitage said, have been involved, fading in and out at particular intervals instead of making yearlong commitments.

"It's such a long, complicated process," he said. "The main thing we're learning is that we want it to be new, fresh and different. The University Center will be the first new building like this in a long time, and we want the food represented there to be just as exciting."

Director of The UC, Bob Barnett, said he's previewed several exciting new concepts for the building, which will house a food court with seven individual stations as well as a stand-alone restaurant.

Still up for debate, Barnett and others considered a possible Tiger Sports Theme, incorporating school colors and memorabilia but also a more generic, national brand.

"I want the students to get what they want, and what they'd be interested in," Barnett said. "Obviously, this is a student-centered building, and the food products play a large part in the personality of our building, so it's important students stay involved in the process."