This Monday, UVA Dine has announced a test run of a new gourmet menu in all on-grounds dining facilities next weekend, from November 7th to 9th. New menu items include braised ribs, baked salmon fillet, homemade-style ravioli, and carrot turmeric soup.
Although a welcome change, some students are expressing doubt over UVA and Aramark’s (the food service superpower running UVA’s dining facilities) intentions, as this test run overlaps exactly with UVA’s family weekend.
Aramark has had a rocky relationship with UVA’s student body for decades. In 2014 UVA entered a 20 year contract with the company despite student protests due to quality and ethical questions. The company also services prisons, and past investigations have found the company serving maggots, garbage, and dog food to inmates, and has been accused of overcharging state governments for the food and facility services they provide.
Aramark services hundreds of other academic institutions alongside UVA, including James Madison University and Virginia Tech, who are ranked by Niche as having the 8th and 2nd best college food in the US respectively, while UVA is number 1208 out of 1421. UVA meal plans are also egregiously expensive, costing more than equivalent plans at both JMU and VT, despite the subpar quality. If the abysmal rankings don’t speak for themselves, UVA Dine’s Aramark employees are also underpaid and underrespected. In 2020 several Aramark employees were laid off without notice or severance, despite this violating their contract with the University.
Thus, it is no surprise that students are less than trusting at the promise of an improved menu.
“I feel like they just want to show off to our families, since a lot of students rely on their parents to afford a meal plan here,” said 3rd year student Doug Dunwith, “If I was a parent and saw the usual food selection, I’d probably refuse to pay anything above the bare minimum to keep my student enrolled, if that.”
“I know they’re performing,” commented 2nd year student Honni Grey, “But honestly? I’m glad I’ll have something edible for once, if only for a couple days.”
Aramark representative, Kate Cheaps, responded to these allegations, “This test is by no means an exception.”
“We plan to continue testing new menus and methods to pursue our goal of customer satisfaction,” Cheaps assured, before whispering over her shoulder to a colleague, asking, “Do you think they’ll buy it?”
