Students hungry for lower food court costs

Students will pay less for a few items at the Aramark food court this term after the company conducted research that revealed their prices on those foods were too high, according to the company.

This week, Stephen Wadsworth, the general manager of Aramark’s food service on campus, made the reductions on the salad bar and soup prices, and created a few Grillworks combo meals, bringing the prices closer to those of competitors nearby the Smith Memorial Student Union location.

Last term, Aramark’s first on campus after a two-year absence, students paid $7.84 per pound for the salad bar, while a significantly more diverse salad bar at the downtown Safeway costs $4.99. Starting this term, the salad bar costs $6.24 a pound at Aramark.

Other changes to the menu are the new Grillworks combo meals for $4.99, featuring hot dogs, BLTs and fish sandwiches, all of which include french fries and a drink.

“I’m ecstatic to see prices drop,” said Brandon Pitzer, a 20-year-old junior studying business, who eats at the food court every day he has class. “That will mean I can actually get full on my lunch breaks.”

It’s hard to compare Aramark prices with Safeway, said Julie North, who manages Portland State’s contract with Aramark as director of Auxiliary Services.

“Since Safeway is a grocery store, and not a food court, they have the ability to purchase in larger quantities, and therefore, are able to reduce their pricing in some areas,” she said.

North was pleased to hear about the changes.

“I wasn’t aware that Aramark was considering lowering some prices, so this is good news,” she said.

Although Wadsworth would not respond to the Vanguard’s inquiries (Aramark company policy requires the media to communicate only with the home office), North shared an e-mail from him stating that more items could be discounted in the future.

“As we move forward into the semester, I will be looking for items that we can offer at a better value for the customers,” Wadsworth said in the e-mail.

Some students eating at the food court welcomed that possibility.

“That would be great,” Colette Grubbs, 21, who eats in the Smith food court every day, said at the prospect of lower prices. “I eat here often enough that I would notice the difference.”

Many students feel that they spend too much of their student budget on on-campus meals.

“Prices are a little high,” Sarah Page, 19, said. “Especially the drinks, like Starbucks’ bottled Frappuccinos. I can get those much cheaper at Costco.”

“I’d say prices are a little expensive,” Eric Kang, 20, said. Kang eats at the food court twice a week. “It’s like they are taking advantage of students because we have to eat here.”

Tom Gillpatrick, professor of marketing and the executive director of the Food Industry Leadership Center at Portland State, said that retail prices for on-campus food service outlets are determined according to basic business principles.

“The factors are always demand, costs, competition and the profit margin that the organization sets,” Gillpatrick said.

Overhead costs are fixed, Gillpatrick said, and he suspects that the only way Aramark could lower prices is to cut wages, use cheaper food, or both.

North encourages students to come by her Smith 117 office to talk to her if they feel prices are too high.

“My door is always open,” she said. “The best way for more changes to happen is for students to voice their opinions to me directly.”