For years, complaining about the quality of the food provided at Leo J. O’Donovan Dining Hall has been among Georgetown students’ most common conversation topics. As healthiness and food choices have declined in recent years, prices have increased. Since Georgetown’s contract with Aramark, the company the University contracts to operate the dining hall, expires next year, the administration has an opportunity to address one of the most persistent, and easily addressed, sources of student discontent.
For the past two years, meal plan prices have increased as the variety of food options has decreased. Grab & Go selections have become worse since the notorious Norovirus outbreak of 2009, both in terms of options and value, especially when considering the cost per meal of a meal plan. Students are being offered mediocre quality for outrageous prices.
Underclassmen are particularly victimized by the poor quality of Leo’s because they are forced to get expensive meal plans. Aside from the convenience and greater choice, it would actually be cheaper to eat out because of the cost of a single meal at Leo’s, which under most plans is over $10. Aramark has a de facto monopoly on food services on campus, which allows the company to neglect the quality of their service and offer fewer options at increasingly higher prices.
Another cause of students’ frustration is the way food is served. The mixture of self-service and worker-served food is maddening and inefficient. Slow service and frustratingly long lines at lunch and dinner only intensify students’ already dim view of Leo’s. Because Leo’s is the only cafeteria on campus, its slow service has a dramatic impact on the happiness of many undergraduates.
Although these complaints about Leo’s have been standard aspects of life on the Hilltop for the past few years, they need not be permanent. Students should not have to shudder when they think of their dining hall. If the University is going to require underclassmen to purchase meal plans, then the overall quality of meals and services must be satisfactory to students.
Fortunately, Georgetown can use the negotiations over a new contract with Aramark to demand an expansion of options or a reduction in prices. If Aramark cannot fulfill the humble desires of students, the administration must do what is in the best interests of the student body: get rid of the company and find a new dining services provider.
