Last year, ETSU terminated its contract with food service provider Aramark and switched to Sodexo.
With this being the first spring semester that Sodexo will be overseeing dining services, many students have been wondering how the company will handle issues of inclement weather, which tend to be much more prominent during the spring semester.
Sodexo’s marketing manager Kayla Tucker said that, during inclement weather, hours of operation will be determined by Vice President of Student Affairs Joe Sherlin.
Sodexo also has an agreement with their food vendors to move delivery dates when they know inclement weather will occur so that there are no food shortages.
While all retail dining locations, such as Taco Bell and Chick-Fil-A, will be closed in poor weather, the Marketplace will be open to provide breakfast, lunch and dinner under limited hours of operation – unless conditions are especially extreme.
In such cases, the Marketplace may open slightly later than students are accustomed to.
Students and staff can find out about these changes in hours via the MyDtxt texting service, by texting “ETSUeats” to 82257. This program also enables diners to provide Sodexo with feedback about dining services.
“In extreme cases we may also put together boxed meals for our customers so that they don’t have to walk back and forth in hazardous conditions,” Tucker said.
She added that Sodexo would work with housing to find on campus accommodation for select employees to prevent them from driving to work in hazardous conditions, with some workers even staying in nearby hotels.
With so many plans in place, ETSU students will have better access to food this semester, no matter the weather conditions.
“And yes, we will have plenty of coffee and hot chocolate,” Tucker said.
