Sodexho rings in the new for start of academic year

Nation's Restaurant News, Sept 16, 2002 by Paul King

GAITHERSBURG, MD. -- As students head back to the classroom this month, Sodexho's Campus Services division is kicking off the school year with a new account, a new concept and a renovated restaurant at three different universities.

Sodexho picked up in August a $24 million, five-year contract to oversee foodservice at DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind., while both the University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C., and Loyola University in New Orleans now boast new foodservice offerings at their campuses.

At DePauw, Sodexho now manages the residence cafeteria and a convenience store in Longden Hall, The Gate restaurant in Hogare Hall, the food court in the Student Union and Cafe Roy in the Roy 0. West Library, said John Coker, marketing director for Sodexho's Campus Services division. Previously, DePauw's foodservice was self-operated.

Sodexho plans to make several changes to the school's foodservice operations over the next few months.

"Our plans for the dining services at DePauw will create a great opportunity for us to introduce ourselves here on campus," Coker said.

For example, the dining room in Longden Hall will get new seats, including booths and a big-screen TV, Coker said. The servery will feature Sodexho's Platform Dining, a chefs stage where items will be made to order.

The Longden Hall convenience store will have Sodexho's Cafe Fresca and SubStantials Express added as well as a Pizza Hut Express.

The Gate will become a wait-service unit and will feature "10-minute guaranteed" lunches, dinner, "Late at The Gate" appetizers and light entrees, and a carry-out service.

Sodexho plans to use its SubStantials, La Vincita, Blackstock Grill and The Food Lab concepts in the food court, and it will enhance the menu at Cafe Roy, which is a coffee shop offering sandwiches and baked goods.

At the University of South Carolina, Sodexho introduced a walk-through, mobile convenience store called Carolina Fast Track.

The Carolina Fast Track is actually a refurbished trolley car, according to Mike Scheffres, general manager for Sodexho at the university. It was designed by Executive Dining Cars Inc.

"This trolley was designed to give students convenience," Scheffres said. "It makes grabbing lunch a fun and unique experience."

Carolina Fast Track is in place in front of the Wardlaw Building, a classroom building. The red-painted, wood-trimmed car has doors at either end, which keep customer traffic flowing even during busy times, Scheffres noted.

At Loyola University, Sodexho reopened the Orleans Room after a summer-long renovation that improved traffic flow in the cafeteria's servery.

Sodexho general manager John Monica said the company had implemented its latest marketplace-style servery, called Ultimate Dining. The concept features several stations, including deli, grill, carvery, vegetarian and pizza. All stations make their items to order.

A large copper kettle hood is the focal point of the 340-seat dining area, which features a decor of burgundy, green, gray and maple.