Dining Hall Economics
Here at University of Delaware, there are 6 main places to get a meal. The 4 sub-par dining halls (Pencader, Rodney, Russell, and Kent), and the two student centers (Trabant and Perkins).
The student centers each have a food-court atmosphere, and Trabant has brands like Quiznos and Taco Bell. However, when one becomes poor (usually in the last month of the semester, as summer savings dwindle), using the campus meal plan is cheap, as the meals are essentially paid for and so, students like me end up eating at the dining halls way too much.
So the other day, while I wonder why "Vegetarian Sloppy Joes" are a main selection at Kent once a week, it dawned on me. The dining halls are a monopolistic cartel. They can get away with serving low quality Aramark slop via undertrained staff because they have no competition. Where else am I going to go to get food I can afford? Right now, not many places.
There is a new, but separate "Off Campus Meal Plan" that allows you (or your parents basically) to pre-purchase meals to be used on Main Street. However, the plan is basically a ripoff, and not everywhere participates.
I can't show my displeasure by not participating in the school's meal plan, as it is required while living in the dorms. As long as this remains in place, there will never be any increase in quality in the dining halls because there is no threat to their revenue. Granted, I don't know where the profit margins for the dining halls are, but I do know that Pencader had Cream of Broccoli soup six days last week.
Basically, I am not complaining about the overall quality of the food. Certainly better than what we had in high school. However, I am merely seeking to understand why the quality rests where it does, and possible solutions.
The student centers each have a food-court atmosphere, and Trabant has brands like Quiznos and Taco Bell. However, when one becomes poor (usually in the last month of the semester, as summer savings dwindle), using the campus meal plan is cheap, as the meals are essentially paid for and so, students like me end up eating at the dining halls way too much.
So the other day, while I wonder why "Vegetarian Sloppy Joes" are a main selection at Kent once a week, it dawned on me. The dining halls are a monopolistic cartel. They can get away with serving low quality Aramark slop via undertrained staff because they have no competition. Where else am I going to go to get food I can afford? Right now, not many places.
There is a new, but separate "Off Campus Meal Plan" that allows you (or your parents basically) to pre-purchase meals to be used on Main Street. However, the plan is basically a ripoff, and not everywhere participates.
I can't show my displeasure by not participating in the school's meal plan, as it is required while living in the dorms. As long as this remains in place, there will never be any increase in quality in the dining halls because there is no threat to their revenue. Granted, I don't know where the profit margins for the dining halls are, but I do know that Pencader had Cream of Broccoli soup six days last week.
Basically, I am not complaining about the overall quality of the food. Certainly better than what we had in high school. However, I am merely seeking to understand why the quality rests where it does, and possible solutions.
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