The K-State Student Union food contract is up for renewal this year.
A majority of the food vendors at the Union, including the food court, are operated by an outsourced management company. This contractor does not, however, handle the residential food service.
Bernard Pitts, executive director of the Union and assistant vice president for student life, said Chartwells, a food service owned by U.K.-based Compass Group, has a contract with the Union. They have held the contract since 1997 after buying-out the previous contractor.
Chartwells has applied to be considered for the new contract, alongside Sodexo, a France-based company.
The companies, as part of the bidding process, will be on campus today and Tuesday for interviews in three separate meetings. They will visit with the Union leadership, student leadership and anyone else who expresses an interest in the event.
Pitts said across America, Chartwells serves over 230 campuses, while Sodexo has a larger scope of about 900 campuses. Chartwells will be on campus today and Sodexo will visit on Tuesday.
“Anyone who has an interest at all should feel comfortable to attend,” Pitts said.
The meeting is planned for 3 p.m. at the Little Theatre in the Union. Pitts said the food service at the Union is often taken for granted by students.
“We have hours more for service than for profit,” Pitts said.
Pitts said the Union food service operates on a break-even revenue system. He also said the Union Corporation Board, the administrative board tasked with finding a suitable contractor, is hoping to reach a profit and loss scenario.
Such a system would mean the Union and the contractor would split losses and gains so each would have an interest in the success of the food service.
