Food for Thought Cafe may accept meal plan dollars

The student-run Food for Thought Cafe is considering a deal with Portland State food service provider Aramark that would allow students to spend their meal plan dollars in the cafe, beginning fall term.

If the plans move forward, the student employees of Food for Thought would invest roughly $7700 in an additional cash register for the cafe that would handle credit card and meal plan dollar transactions. The register would be purchased from Aramark, who would take five percent of the profits from all meal plan transactions as part of the deal.

Aramark will become the PSU food service provider for Portland State on July 1.

John Lambert, the Student Activities and Leadership Programs (SALP) liaison for the cafe, said that although there were some concerns among the caf퀌� employees, most employees thought it was a good idea.

The cafe is a student-run cooperative, and all decisions are made by group consensus.

“Food for Thought is still anti-establishment,” Lambert said. “We’re not trying to associate ourselves with Aramark.”

Sodexho, the current food service provider for Portland State, has a contract that stipulates the cafe can compete directly with school food service restaurants for student business. Although the Aramark contract has not yet been finalized, the new contract will also allow for this practice, said Carol Martin, the outreach coordinator for Auxiliary Services.

Lambert said that the members of the caf퀌� are hoping to expand student business to include students with meal plans while still providing the organic vegan and vegetarian food options that students want.

“I don’t think we’re capable of converting people who aren’t already aware,” Lambert said. “We’re really just hoping that this could help us maintain a steady volume of customers.”

Customer volume, Lambert said, could increase due to the change, and many adjustments would be made to accommodate feeding more students, especially during dinner hours. Cafe hours would be extended until 9 or 10 in the evening, and the caf퀌� would be open on weekends, Lambert said.

Lambert was unable to estimate how many more students the cafe might need to hire due to the change, but said that hiring and training new staff would be essential.

Because the new register would allow the cafe to ring up credit card transactions as well as meal plan transactions, it could dramatically shorten the amount of time people must spend in line before ordering, Lambert said. The caf퀌�’s current register would be kept for “cash only” transactions.

If the staff decides to move forward with the plan, the cafe could apply for supplemental funds to pay for the register from the Student Fee Committee’s $75,000 reserve, according to SALP director Tonantzin Oceguera, the group advising the cafe.

Oceguera stressed that the decision is completely in the hands of the students running the caf퀌�.

“Because it is student-run, we let the students make that decision,” Oceguera said.

Lambert said that he would be putting the request together in the next few weeks.

A request for supplemental funding could not be considered by the Student Fee Committee until after July 1, when the new committee meets to deliberate any changes to the 2008 fiscal year budget.

John Eckman, associate director of auxiliary services, estimated the costs for the new system at approximately $5200 for the computer and software, $1500 for the installation of telecommunication and $1000 for installation and training.

Auxiliary Services is in talks with the cafe over possible changes to the exterior of Smith that could occur as part of an upcoming remodel. The cafe may be allowed to seat customers outside the Smith Center in what is now the loading dock area, and an entrance to the caf퀌� from Broadway could be constructed.