After 16 years, Hillsdale College is saying goodbye to Saga Inc.
Beginning this fall, Bon Appétit Management Company will replace Saga dining and catering services in Knorr Dining Hall, AJ’s Café, and Jitters Coffee shop. The structure of and rates for meal plans will not change for the 2014-15 school year, according to Chief Administrative Officer Rich Péwé.
Saga General Manager Kevin Kirwan expressed the highest regard for Hillsdale College and his time serving the school.
“Hillsdale College has been very good to me and I have really enjoyed my time serving the students, faculty, trustees, special guests,” he said. “I will miss it and I will do everything in my power to stick around to make a successful transition from Saga to the new company. I want them to be successful because I want the students to be taken care of. I wish Hillsdale College all the success in the world. I believe in what they stand for and for the things they aspire to be.”
According to an email Péwé sent to students this afternoon, Bon Appétit is a large company which provides food for schools including the University of Pennsylvania, Claremont McKenna College, Duke University, MIT and Wheaton College.
Péwé said food service and quality is just another facet of Hillsdale’s mission to be an excellent college. The administration had been considering finding a new catering company for the past few years because of conversations and feedback from faculty, visitors, and students. During the 2013-2014 school year, it decided to consider other proposals for food service.
“We decided it would be wise to investigate other options,” Péwé said.
Péwé said that the change was not based on pressure from any students or faculty in particular. He said the conversation has been ongoing and the administration does listen to students, but no one conversation or petition encouraged the school to switch.
After examining food service proposals from companies besides Saga, the administration chose Bon Appétit because of the company’s focus on “cooking from scratch.”
“They don’t open cans and boxes and they have experience with students with celiac disease and diabetes,” Péwé said. “They start most everything the way you would home cooking.”
Péwé said Bon Appétit plans to use local, natural ingredients and seasonal food. Instead of having a rotating menu, such as “Taco Tuesday,” Bon Appétit will offer creative choices at every station. Also, the cafeteria will no longer have one main line, but multiple, equally-balanced stations. They will hire professional chefs to oversee every meal, even on the weekends. Péwé said the same unique approach will likely overflow into AJ’s Café and Jitters, as well.
Last summer, fifth year student Carson Pierse interned at Foodbuy LLC, which is a subsidiary of Compass Group, along with Bon Appétit. She approached Bon Appétit to offer them a student perspective on the food and specifically nutrition at Hillsdale College.
“I didn’t like Saga and wanted a change,” she said. “I answered any questions that the Bon Appétit team had to try to give them a better idea of what food service is like at Hillsdale.”
Princeton Review ranked Wheaton College’s cafeteria food number one in the country. Former Hillsdale student Julia Zeller transferred to Wheaton College after the 2012-2013 school year.
“Wheaton food is the reason I transfered – just kidding,” Zeller said. “Wheaton food is awesome. Great salad bar options and they always have spinach, which is a big deal for health nuts like me. Their soups are amazing and they always have great bread too. People there complain, but I think they are crazy. I’ve known other food services so I know how great it is. Although, I will say Saga does a better Sunday brunch.”
In the wake of the change, some students wonder what will happen to current employees, such as customer service representative Steve Casai, known fondly to students as “Saga Steve,” and the student workers.
Péwé was not able to say with certainty what will happen to any employees, but said Bon Appétit understands that many students need jobs for scholarship reasons. He also said the job pool is not likely to change, so Bon Appétit will likely hire any good employees that Saga once employed.
“At this point we as employees are still trying to figure out what it means for work, job security, and other considerations. At this point, with so little information, it’s a little disconcerting,” junior student manager Sarah Albers said.
Meal plan prices will not change this coming school year, but with the constantly increasing cost of food and increased interest in higher quality, more expensive food, Péwé expects the prices to increase in the future like they have in the past.
“We always have conversations about food costs. This is a quality product that requires fresh products and professional chefs every day of the week,” Péwé said.
Péwé said he would love to convey to students on a regular basis how affordable Hillsdale is. Although the college’s board costs are “middle of the road,” Péwé said its tuition costs are very competitive.
Péwé said many of the concerns students have in regard to the flexibility of the meal plans may change when they receive a better product.
“Any time you get what you expect, students will be happier,” Péwé said.