With Sodexo under new management, students and staff can expect to see a few changes.
“Running the café is a team effort and we have a great team here,” Jennie Sweet, supervisor of Sodexo, said.
Sweet has been in the food and beverage industry for 40 years. She’s owned her own restaurants, catering and has been with Sodexo since September 2012.
“I have two main hats here,” Sweet said. I book caterings to Sodexo standards and I’m a supervisor. “I enjoy working here and with the students.”
Sweet intends to add a variety of new foods that everyone will enjoy no matter what their diet is.
“It will be everything under the sun, vegetarians to carnivores,” Sweet said.
More protein and a variety of options will be added to both the salad bar and the grill.
“I’d like to put out a suggestion box,” Sweet said.
Students and staff will be able to put their ideas and opinions in the box.
“The food and beverage industry is forever changing and always evolving,” Sweet said.
Starting soon, what is now the taco bar will be changed to a specials bar. It will go on a two week rotation with different menu items every other week.
“They are cooking all their food in the same oil, like their onion rings, chicken strips, and corn dogs. Their food is overpriced,” SFCC student Thomas Long said. “Sodexo sucks!”
“We look forward to bringing good food and more variety to provide better customer service,” Sweet said.
“I’m glad they are here to feed us and that we have warm meals available to us,” SFCC student, Juan Ramirez Gonzalez said. “They make it feel like the food is made with love.”
Recently, Sodexo fired some former employees and hired a bunch of new faces.
“I can’t tell. That’s confidential,” Sweet said. “We’ve had to turn over and add more staff. Work study has helped fill in where we need them. They really are an awesome staff.
“I will fill in when I’m needed. I’ve ripped my gloves off and helped in every position.”
“They need people with proper training and need to hire better candidates,” Long said.
“I like that they employ students,” Ramirez-Gonzalez said.
Interim GM Ron Hunter sometimes steps in to help out.
“He’s helped point us in the right direction,” Sweet said.