Sodexho, the new food service provider for St. John’s, appears to be drawing more customers than the former provider, Aramark, ever did. The change seems to have boosted student confidence in dining services on campus.
“I think that [Sodexho] produces more customers than Aramark,” Angela Kallouvis, a cook for St. John’s dining services, said. “We pretty much have the same foods as last year, just everything is a little cleaner and more organized.”
Students appear happy with the improvements of the dining conditions at Montgoris Dining Hall. However, they still feel that there is room for improvement.
“I like the food, but I think there are too few healthy choices,” freshman Xochitl Cordova said. “Like today, there weren’t any wraps or wheat bread. [Although] I like that they’re starting to put out oil and vinegar for the salads, because I don’t like regular salad dressing. It’s really fattening.”
As for other dining locations, such as those in Marillac Hall and the law school, students have always found that these locations offer more appetizing choices. Upperclassmen who have heard about the change of companies cannot complain about the new food, but they find the long lines in the cafeteria to be quite annoying.
“Personally, I liked Aramark better,” senior Efthima Orkopoulos said. “But, I do like how everything is presented now. Like, how the ketchup and napkins are already on the table. [Though] I think that there should be a larger variety in food choices, and the lines are seriously ridiculous. I guess once freshman figure out that there’s food off campus, there will be a change in how many people are in the cafeteria during common hour.”
Unfortunately, the poor food choices last year in fact have kept some students from returning to eat at any of the St. John’s dining locations.
“I still think that the eggs are fake, though there is a change in the company,” senior James Karz said. “I’m more of a peanut butter and jelly guy, anyway. It’s the only thing I can trust without a fear of blowing up my stomach.”
