Aramark Faces Protests from Unions, Different Relationship with Choate
By Rebecca Han ’10
News Staff Reporter
Food services for business corporations, university campuses, and boarding schools are often the subjects of intense scrutiny. An article published in the Yale Daily News in February 2008 reported that 300 people gathered on Friday, February 1st in New Haven to protest Aramark Food Services in New Haven public schools. The complaints brought against Aramark included “poor food quality, poor treatment of workers and poor financial returns,” according to the article. Bruce Raynor, general president of UNITE HERE and coordinator of the protest, said in the article that “Aramark not only abuses the people it is supposed to serve, it also abuses those who serve in their name.” Aramark will no longer provide food service for Yale as of 2008, ending a ten-year relationship. An August 2007 article in the Yale Daily News alluded to tension in “the University’s relationship with Aramark [which] has hampered dining halls from running smoothly and led to a downturn in food quality.” Bob Proto, the President of Local 35, the union representing dining hall employees which organized the protest, said in the article that “the continual changes in management disrupted the team-oriented environment needed to run a dining hall effectively.”
Fewer Tensions at Choate
Although Aramark provides Choate’s food service as well, the relationship between Choate and Aramark is seemingly less strained. Ms. Tamara Laurie, General Counsel and Assistant Business Manager at Choate who also oversees the dining hall, noted that “we are not a union facility; we run very differently than a union program.” Aramark has had a 41-year-long partnership with Choate, and works with the school to address specific issues. Unlike the union facilities that have high turnover rates for managers, Choate has had a better history with its managers, and some of them have been here for more than 20 years.
Both Aramark and Choate strive to build a reasonable menu that is within the constraints of the budget, using the negotiated fee that the corporation and school set up. Ms. Alicia Mysiorski, food service director at Choate, is in charge of the budget and collaborates with Choate administrators to come to a decision. She says, “The advantage of working with a large corporation like [Aramark] is that we allow Choate to buy in bulk more cheaply, because we’re such a big corporation.” The money left over from supply costs is then distributed through Aramark individual employees in the form of wages, benefit packages, and miscellaneous expenses. When asked, some Aramark employees affirmed that the working conditions are satisfactory. “The treatment I get is very good,” an anonymous employee said.
Conservation Efforts
Beyond the financial incentives, the Aramark operation at Choate strives to fulfill its “social responsibility” to the community and “a commitment to preserve our environment,” as stated on the school’s website. Reducing waste, buying from local producers whenever possible, and using napkins made of all-recycled materials are some of the ways in which Aramark has tried to demonstrate environmental awareness and social conscience. Ms. Mysiorski and the school’s executive chef are both members of the Sustainability Committee, meeting every other week to participate in Choate conservation efforts. The nutritional composition of the food is also taken into consideration. Monthly nutrition topics are part of an effort to better educate the community about how to make the right choices. “We have a great group of people here that work really hard to give us nutritional information, exciting excursions, and a variety of food choices to meet the community needs,” Ms. Laurie said.
While efforts are made to provide nutritious options, whether the students like the food is a different story. Of her lunch one day, Andi Wang ‘10 said, “It doesn’t taste bad.” Others find that the meals are adequately diverse and nutritious, but perhaps lacking in taste. “Even though we have such a great variety of food, there is seldom any…really good food. It’s tough to say that I ever come out of the dining hall satisfied, but I am full, so that’s good,” said Tom Guo ’09.
Dedicated Employees
Nevertheless, some students appreciate the employees and their efforts to prepare the food. “The employees all work really hard, waking up every morning to prepare our food and then working throughout the entire day just to meet our needs,” Guo said. Of the current 60 Aramark employees working at Choate, several of the full-time employees are well acquainted with students. “We feel like part of the community here,” said Ms. Mysiorski. Students are on first-name basis with some of the employees who have been integrated into the community at Choate. “I love my little darlings and they love me,” said Gram, a well-known employee at the Tuck Shop. “Rose [an Aramark employee] is the greatest if you come to breakfast often enough, she knows your order without you saying anything this type of interaction between employees and students makes me feel good,” said Guo.
