Company justifies higher prices

By Andrea Barrack

Bon Appetit Facility Manager Cathy Straub knows that food prices on campus are higher than other local venues. But she and John Dickman, district manager for Bon Appetit, explain that those high prices buy a labor-intense quality of food and pay high-end wages to their dining service workers.

"At Santa Clara University, the intent of the business is to be like a restaurant serving a university population," said Patricia Wilkinson, head of contracting for Bon Appetit and the Santa Clara dining services committee. "At Safeway, the intention is to sell food - not to provide a dining experience."

Students have often wondered why food in Market Square and the Cellar Market are more expensive than at off-campus grocers.

Yoplait Yogurt, for example, can cost anywhere from 56 cents to $1.19 at Safeway or 7-11, but Bon Appetit charges $1.59.

"Food is a value, not a fuel," said John Dickman, district manager for Bon Appetit. "We're different from other guys."

One of these "other guys" is Aramark, the dining corporation that served Santa Clara prior to Bon Appetit. Services like Aramark provide repetitive six-week meal cycles, offering little variety or seasonality.

Beginning with the 2001-02 academic year, the dining experience provided by Bon Appetit has made considerable improvements. Not only does the Bon Appetit Head Chef Mike Brinkmann, create custom menus each week based on seasonal ingredients, he and his staff only use fresh ingredients from local growers.

Dickman explains, however, that fresh ingredients result in more labor, which means increased wages and higher prices to students.

According to Cathy Straub, the average hourly wage for a dining service employee (which includes fringe benefits of health and dental, paid time off, and retirement) is $17.86 hourly.

Dickman adds that, due to additional agreements made through contracting, this wage goes above and beyond the minimum wage opportunities. This, according to Dickman, complements Bon Appetit and Santa Clara's mantra of social responsibility.

While the labor needed to create Miso Glazed Mahi may justify spending a few more dollars, debate surrounds whether students should still be charged extra for products that are delivered from places into Santa Clara's Market Square.

According to Patricia Wilkinson, comparing Safeway's prices to Santa Clara's is like comparing apples and oranges.

Straub suggests that venues like the Cellar Market are more comparable to convenience stores such as 7-11.

Because they are not multi-million dollar conglomerates ordering shipments in bulk, the Market Square isn't able to buy the same products as places such as 7-11 for the same reduced prices.

"Cellar Market is not privy to that kind of discounting, thus driving up our cost of goods," she explained.

Aside from wage issues, the quality of Bon Appetit's products are considered superior in the pool of dining services.

This is partially due to their Circle of Responsibility credo, explained Dickman.

According to Bon Appetit brochures, the service literally "puts their money where their mouth is" and "invests in the health of (their) community."

In support of this statement, they buy from regional farms, boycott food purveyors who do not support farm workers' rights, buy organic produce and only use animal products (including milk, eggs and meats) that are free from antibiotics.

Translation: higher prices for better quality ingredients.

Other university groups are offering alternatives to the usual faire.

Orradre Library and Bon Appetit will present a "Literary Cuisine" series May 19 in the Williman Room.

û Contact Andrea Barrack at abarrack@scu.edu.