Dining has a new name and a new look this year at the University of Idaho thanks to a $2 million investment from Sodexo.
“Sodexo, in putting up the capital, they’ve shown us they’re a good business partner,” Assistant Vice President of Auxiliary Services Alan Coker said. “Everyone’s got skin in the game.”
With two and a half years left on the 10-year contract, the university renegotiated $2 million in capital from Sodexo to invest in the renovation, said Coker. Auxiliary Services at UI include dining as well as the Vandal Store and run concessions at games. Mike Thomsen, Sodexo’s manager at UI, said Sodexo has contracted with the university since 1989.
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Cashier Marvel greets students as they enter The Hub, formally know as Bob’s Place, Monday for lunch.
Renegotiating the contract was possible because of the nature of UI’s contract with Sodexo, Coker said. The contract is a hybrid between a best-values contract in which the university would be guaranteed a set revenue, but food quality and hours of operation could suffer, and a management fee contract, under which more is negotiable.
UI owns all the equipment, Coker said, while Sodexo provides all the products and staff. Coker said UI’s yearly share of profit is about $1.5 million.
The contract was renegotiated early last spring and construction began in May. The schedule was tight, with only the summer months available to renovate.
Now, the hall has a new and greater variety of seats, new flooring and new equipment for some food stations.
“There’s outlets so people can charge and work while they’re eating,” Thomsen said. “We increased the number of seats by 75 but because of the mixture of seating, it doesn’t look jam-packed with tables and chairs.”
Thomsen said the back wall now has a mural from a local photographer. The grill and pizza equipment is now faster and higher quality with the addition of new fryers, a char broiler and a stone-fire pizza oven.
Ultimately, the university used only $1.4 million of Sodexo’s investment and the remainder is reserved for further changes in the future.
Following input from students and a vote on a selection of suggestions, the hall has a new name too: The Hub.
“We knew it would cause a ruckus,” said Allison Wright, Sodexo’s marketing coordinator at UI. “We got some interesting ones like ‘Robert’s,’ and of course ‘Marvel’s’ was a huge contender.”
Wright said students named Bob’s after long-time employee Bob Kruger following his death and that “Marvel’s” was overruled as it would have named the hall after a current, living employee.
The aesthetic changes also came from student input, Thomsen said. He said a designer brought students into what was then the quiet room to give their opinions on different seats, flooring and other items.
Returning students may have other campus dining changes to anticipate. Thomsen said the company is looking to bring a Qdoba to the Idaho Commons food court to replace Sub Connection and a Dunkin’ Donuts to Sixth Street to replace Joe’s Cheesy Grill in fall 2018.
“We need to keep changing to add variety,” Thomsen said. “Especially for the students living on campus, this is their kitchen and their home.”
Nishant Mohan may be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @NishantRMohan