Dining Steering Committee set to select next Dining Hall Vendor on Dec. 8

By Ella Tracy 

St. Kate’s dining and catering contract with Sodexo is set to expire in Spring 2026. 

A recently-organized committee made up of St. Kate’s faculty, staff, and representatives of Student Senate has undertaken the weighty - and occasionally yummy - responsibility of selecting whether the University will move forward with a new contractor or renew with Sodexo. 

Throughout November, 3 vendors were selected to present their visions for a new St. Kate’s dining experience and offer a sampling of proposed dishes. The vendor will be selected on Dec. 8th, with official contract signing occurring on Jan. 19th. Renovations to the Dining Hall would take place over the summer. 

Sodexo

Sodexo has faced years of student frustration and dissatisfaction over food prices and quality. Should their contract be renewed, they propose expanding their current stations for more variety. They also hope to adjust their hours for fasting holidays and update specialized menus for more halal and vegetarian options. Sodexo also proposed a new meal plan model, with plans including 2-5 “block meals” per week plus a declining balance usable outside of the Dining Hall. 

Bon Appétit

Bon Appétit currently serves Northwestern University, Macalester, Carlton, and St. Olaf. They have a company emphasis on farm-to-table food. If contracted at St. Kate’s, they propose that the Pulse would be open daily from 11 am to 9:30 pm, with the Marketplace being open for all hours that the CdC is. 

Their menu otherwise features a wide array of vegan, halal, and culturally diverse meals with Somali and Hmong recipes. They are open to rehiring the current dining hall team, including full-time staff and student workers. They would also continue the dining hall committee to remain open to student feedback. 

Bon Appétit proposed a meal swipe plan where students can have 19, 12, or 7 meal swipes in the week, in addition to a declining balance of “flex spend” per semester. Commuter plans are either 40 meal swipes per semester or $300 in flex spend dollars. 

Chartwells

Chartwells can be found in St. Mary’s, Southwest State, St. Cloud State, Winona State, and the University of Minnesota’s dining halls. They would plan on a meal swipe model for the dining hall; each swipe would get a student an entree, a side, and a beverage. They would also have a declining balance similar to the current model to be used for the coffee shop, Marketplace, and the Pulse. 

They would establish a chapter of their Food Recovery Network, which is dedicated to noting all unused food and rescuing food that can be reused. 

The Chartwells team also suggested switching the Caribou to serve coffee from a local woman-owned coffee brand called City Girl. 

Chartwells would maintain a comparable to-go container program and is open to rehiring the current dining team. 

Change is on the rise with all vendors 

All 3 vendors are proposing a shift away from the current declining balance system. The dining hall will be renovated over the Summer of 2026 regardless of selection. A self-checkout system has been proposed for the Marketplace by all the vendors, in hopes that the store can be open longer without a staff member needed to check out purchases. The Simply3 or similar allergen-free station will remain. All vendors also plan to bolster sustainability reporting systems and maintain a yearly or semesterly fund to alleviate food insecurity. 

The Dining Steering Committee will meet on Dec. 2nd to review feedback from the committee and the vendors’ proposed plans. Contact Student Senate representatives Alexa Lonski, Megan Nyholm, and Victoria Lo if there is any additional information you would like the committee to consider. Tune back next semester to find out more about the committee’s selection. 

Please note that any specific details are subject to change by the time a vendor begins their contract.