Dining hall raises prices for second semester while students question food quality

Katies comment on campus food offerings and how quality compares to cost

In February, a billboard appeared in the dining hall right in front of where students can pick the vegetables they want in their stir fry. “What Should We Do Next? This or That” was written in huge lettering at the top, and the two options listed were “Dip Dip Hooray” and “Just Desserts.” Of course, Katies had tallied their votes under each category, and someone had even written in a “Both” column where a few people had decided to cast their ballots. But the most intriguing part of the poster was easily the section of the poster where its original creator had written, “Additional Ideas? Leave them below!” In this blank area, Katies seemed to air several grievances they had about the food options on campus, writing everything from “End your price gouging” to “Have actual gluten free and vegetarian options.”

The billboard in the dining hall where students expressed their opinions and complaints.

With these complaints having been so prominently on display, and with the rise in food prices at the beginning of this semester, now seems a more appropriate time than ever to have a look at what students think about food prices, options and quality.

Multiple students commented on their frustration with the higher cost of food this semester, even if some could understand why the prices might have been raised. “I can see both sides of the argument,” said one student who has worked in the dining hall. “But the rising prices of the food itself is really frustrating because most of us students don’t have a lot of money.”

Some students expressed confusion as to exactly why prices had to go up. Dean Dutko, general manager Sodexo dining services, was able to provide some clarification on a few of these questions. He pointed to labor shortages and supply chain issues that the pandemic is at least partially responsible for. Even before the pandemic, labor availability in this area of the market was decreasing due to a variety of factors. These variables include “slow growth of the working-age population, fewer non-degreed workers, increased rates of disability among the working-age population, and lower workforce participation rates among young people,” according to a Sodexo flyer Dutko referenced in response to student questions.

That same flyer said people have been hesitant to work again after the onset of the pandemic for a variety of factors, including fears about exposure to Covid-19. Fewer workers have been willing to harvest crops. Manufacturers have been rebuilding their inventories at a slow rate and might still be operating at reduced capacities. Additionally, some smaller distributors closing has put more pressure on other distributors to carry the brunt of transporting food to where it needs to be sold. These are just some examples of the stressors that have been placed on the food supply chain.

Still, a few Katies pointed out that the food offered on campus is priced much higher than at local grocery stores that would be dealing with the same supply chain issues. “It’s really hard when they raise prices and then don’t raise meal points,” said Kiara Gomes ‘25 (Fashion Design and International Studies). “And it’s kind of ridiculous how a meal can cost $13 here and it’s not even that much food when you can go off campus and get more for less. But it’s not always accessible for people to do that.”

Statements from other students echoed Gomes’s sentiment. “I think in proportion to each other, the prices are pretty fair,” said Madeline Maurer ‘25 (Elementary Education). “But a lot of things are overpriced, especially in the marketplace. Some things are whole dollars more than they would be at Target or another grocery store.”

One student who has worked in the marketplace was able to comment on the particular pricing of some marketplace items. “The thing that stands out to me in the marketplace most is the price of our candy,” she said. “We charge $2.19 for a basic Snicker’s bar or Reese’s or something like that. Which again is something that I would compare it to a gas station again where I feel like you can get it for $1.50 or so.”

A few Katies also mentioned that they were unsure who exactly — between St. Kate’s and Sodexo — decided to raise the prices of food in the first place. Dutko was able to clarify this as well. “St Kate’s leadership is only involved in discussions around pricing increase proposals, not the final decision Sodexo needs to operate,” he said. “Since SCU is not a self-operation campus the business model is SCU contracted Sodexo … to provide food services on campus like many colleges around the country.”

Although Sodexo controls the prices of food items, St. Kate’s Residence Life sets the dollar amounts assigned to the meal plans and designs that entire system, according to Dutko. “Sodexo provides meal services and has no ruling on plan costs,” he said. “We provide food services with varied meal plans with a declining balance agreement on behalf of St. Catherine.”

Notably, though, the university does not play a part in deciding which food options are available on campus. “SCU is not involved with menu rotation,” Dutko said. “University culinary dining teams around our 400+ campus around the country use what is called DRIVE production and recipes. This is an innovative and constantly evolved Sodexo proprietary dashboard program which cycles’ a 5-week campus balanced menu plan.”

A few students commented that they were impressed with the food variety relative to the small campus and dining hall size. “Given how small a dining room it is, the variety of food is really impressive,” said the same student who has worked in the dining hall before. “I’ve been to other schools and seen their lunchrooms, and they’re about the same size as St. Kate’s … and the variety of food is not as much.”

However, she did acknowledge that she is in a privileged position in comparison to some other students in terms of which foods she is able to eat. “But again, this is coming from somebody who doesn’t have any restrictions,” she said. “So, I can go and eat at the vegan section, and it will just be a fun little meal for me. It’s not my only source of food.”

Students who do have dietary restrictions had some complaints about the lack of options available to them. “The vegetarian options are really bad,” said Lucy Totzke ‘25 (Sonography), who was vegetarian last semester but has switched to not eating red meat this semester. “And that’s not even the vegan options, just the vegetarian. It’s really hard to eat vegetarian here and maintain getting enough protein and everything and not lacking on any important nutrients. Because last semester, being vegetarian, I had a hard time finding food. I was pretty much just getting stir fry whenever it was available, and that was pretty much my only option during lunch.”

Fern Schiffer ‘25 (English), who is vegetarian, provided some commentary on the vegan/vegetarian option that is often offered in the dining hall at dinner. “I sometimes think it seems under-planned, like they’re just throwing together whatever they have on occasion with the main hot meal,” they said. “Very often it’s good, but sometimes I’m like, ‘Why are you giving me coleslaw, a baked potato and garlic breadsticks? Is this just what didn’t sell out?’ Which I’m all for not wasting food, but I also think that for a $10 plate, I feel like I could have done better if I just ordered every day from the focaccia place across the street.”

Of course, vegetarians are not the only people with dietary restrictions who sometimes struggle with limited food options. Alice Wiand ‘25 (Women’s Studies and Spanish) has celiac disease and thus cannot eat gluten. A summary they provided of their experience with campus food was, “I feel like there aren’t very many options. So I can get by, but it’s not a good dining hall experience overall.” Specifically, Wiand mentioned that there is not a wide variety of hot food options for gluten-free students and pointed out that the Simple Servings station is always a variation on some sort of meat paired with a type of grain.

Additionally, Wiand mentioned that they have found items that are not gluten-free in the dining hall’s gluten-free zone. “Recently, I’ve noticed that in the freezer part [of the gluten-free zone], they’ve been putting stuff that is— usually it’s vegan stuff that is not gluten-free,” she said. “And it’s literally in the gluten-free station. So if I were not checking the labels, which thankfully I do, I would not expect to need to check the labels in the gluten-free zone. Then I could have ended up eating gluten and gotten sick, and that’s really frustrating.”

The dining hall’s mac and cheese.

One student who is a member of the dining hall committee and who has some food allergies remarked that she has enough on-campus food options but recognized her privilege since her allergies are not life-threatening. “I think I’m from a more privileged perspective on that note since if I do eat something, I will get sick but I won’t — it’s not a life-or-death situation,” she said. “I feel more sorry for people who do have a more serious allergy. I think Simple Servings is great. However, it sucks when you’re paying $2,000 and you can only eat an eighth of the food in the dining hall.”

The same student also expressed frustration that some foods in the dining hall are not marked clearly when it comes to which dietary restrictions they conform to. “The Simple Servings is marked really well, but then the other stations aren’t always marked as well,” she said. “And then I have to ask what allergens are in there, and then sometimes they don’t know, and I just feel like I’m inconveniencing the workers there. And I don’t want to do that.”

In response to these concerns regarding the availability of food choices to students with dietary restrictions, Dutko again referenced the food shortage challenges that come with supply chain issues. He also added that Sodexo staff often work to accommodate individual students’ needs. “The executive chef, operations managers and I work directly with Student Accessibility & Accommodations, Health & Wellness, Access and Success departments when students register a special need or request. When we have an opportunity to provide a walk through with a student, the student realizes there are other options not visible choices. We discuss individual needs and adapt our operations for several students on campus.”

He also emphasized Simply Servings as an important option for students with specific dietary needs. “The past week we had parents stop in with their student during an admission tour asking about the Simple Servings concept,” Dutko said. “Their comment was after touring many campus accounts and never saw this service presented. Sodexo has this SS trademark only at a few campus accounts and we are fortunate to have it here.”

Other Katies had more specific concerns about the food quality, including mentions of drinks on the verge of expiration, moldy food and food that did not look or smell right. In response to these complaints, Dutko said, “There is no concern on any beverage that is about to expire. Most are simple use by dates in the industry or best by use.” He added in reference to the specific mention of food that did not seem right, “We ask to bring this concern to any of our culinary team staff.”

Finally, Dutko emphasized that Sodexo has staff members who are dedicated to addressing student concerns. “We have a campus dietitian, Lexi Cournoyer who maintains an office out of our Bethel Univ campus. Lexi is always a resource for independent questions and concerns,” he said. “Sodexo SCU has maintained the highest % rating in local health department inspections, Independent EcoSure audits, and Safety guidelines in the Twin Cities area. Complaints are a result of not coming to a source for assistance. We have a team of frontline workers to provide support.”