Aramark has exclusive campus catering rights
By Rachana Dixit, news editor
Posted on February 26, 2007

When communications professor Annick Conis was teaching her intercultural communication students about how food is a cultural symbol, she had an idea to take her students to Blue Nile — a restaurant specializing in Ethiopian cuisine — during one of their classes. But after considering the amount of time it would take to get to the restaurant, have 40 students and herself eat, and drive back so her students could make the rest of their classes, the idea seemed increasingly unfeasible. 

Eventually, one student suggested they should get Blue Nile to bring food to campus during class. But Conis said she immediately recognized that this wasn’t an option because of JMU’s contractual agreement with Aramark, which operates all of the university’s dining and catering services. According to Towana Moore, JMU associate vice president of business services, the agreement says Aramark has exclusive rights to provide catering services to the JMU campus.

Because of this, Conis deduced getting Blue Nile on campus would be virtually impossible.

“It would be nice if we had some leeway,” Conis said. “[The policy] definitely complicates my schedule a little.”

Dining Services Resident District Manager Stephanie Hoshower said this agreement has been in place since 2000, when Aramark was first contracted to do JMU’s Dining Services. For the 2006-07 budget, the university poured in $27,056,328 for Aramark’s services. In addition, Moore said catering sales offset other university expenditures, such as utility and facility costs.

This type of agreement, Hoshower said, provides certain benefits in terms of food quality and service.

“As a representative of the university, having one point of contact for food ensures consistency and is an extension of the university’s goals and service standards,” she said. “Approvals are given for food to be brought into the university on a case-by-case basis, but because of the above reasons and the busy booking schedule of our campus meeting space, we do not allow off-campus catering companies to set up on campus.”

Both Moore and Hoshower said the catering clause for JMU’s dining policies is common at other universities. Moore, who previously worked at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington and Radford University, said outside catering services were not allowed at either of those universities.

Hoshower added: “It is common to see this type of agreement throughout the hospitality industry.”

Although JMU’s contract with Aramark is set up in this way, it is not a universal company policy. Since 1989, Aramark has been contracted with the University of Virginia to do its dining services as well, but does not have exclusive catering rights.
Dining Services Director Brent Beringer said there are only certain on-campus locations in which Aramark is required to cater, because the locations tend to have buildings of historical significance. According to U.Va.’s policy, these locations include: all U.Va. dining services facilities, the Rotunda, the Newcomb Hall Ballroom and Commonwealth Room, the Colonnade Hotel, the president’s box at Scott Stadium and Scott Stadium suites.

“It comes down to a security issue,” Beringer said. “They want to protect the buildings.”

Despite JMU’s on-campus catering requirements, local Harrisonburg businesses still work with Aramark for certain goods. Hoshower said Aramark has worked with local businesses for specialty items and support local vendors through purchasing programs.

“We support many local businesses, such as Shenandoah’s Pride, Mr. J’s Bagels, and SYSCO, which has a local warehouse in Harrisonburg,” she said. “Dining Services purchases over 200 products from the state of Virginia.”

In addition, local restaurant owners said they are faring well even though they can’t cater on JMU’s campus. Taste of Thai Manager Ponsy Phonelath said they primarily cater locally, and restrictions at JMU have never really been a problem.

“It doesn’t make a difference,” Phonelath said.

As for Conis and her intercultural communication class, she thinks Blue Nile can just happen outside of class time.

“We can get around [JMU’s policy] by taking students to the restaurant outside of class,” she said. “It’s not a huge problem.”