From the nearly 20,000 people who roam Valley College daily, the cafeteria's food court made roughly 250 sales per day last year -- and generated no profit. To recoup the loss the cafeteria incurred requires administration to dip into state funds allocated for the school's basic needs.
"Obviously, we can't keep an operation going that loses that much money," said Raul Gonzales, Associate Vice President of administrative services.
Valley's cafeteria withdrew $289,000 from the school's general funds to pay a debt to Orion Food Systems for services provided last year.
California community colleges have historically allowed their cafeterias to operate as a service to the students, despite financial loss. Now, in synchrony with budget cuts, the district is reevaluating its cafeteria services in order to eliminate the deficit. Valley administrators are hoping to minimize loss and project breaking even this year.
Valley is locked in a contract with Orion Food Systems for three more years and will have to continue to pay for their services per the agreement. Gonzales and his colleagues express no displeasure with Orion's service, and concur that Orion is not the problem. "We need to boost sales," Vice President of Administrative Services Tom Jacobsmeyer said.
"We've increased our income so we're covering our cost at this time," Jacobsmeyer said.
Administrators are implementing a feedback card system and encourage students to tell the school what they do and don't like.
"We're here to sell the students what they want," Jacobsmeyer said. "Eddie Peppers" is shutting down due to low sales. Administrators considered putting an Asian food stand in its place but were halted by the cost - at least $25,000 to do the conversion. Burgers and pizzas make the most sales and the salad bar makes the least, but it's maintained for variety.
Valley's Sidewalk Café, behind the cafeteria, opened last semester to help supplement income, but there was not enough traffic and it made no money. But this experiment didn't cost the school money, according to Jacobsmeyer. Now the Café is on the sidewalk near the tennis courts.
The main cafeteria will cut its operational hours, and the cost of some food items may increase, but employees' salaries will remain the same. Cafeteria workers salaries average $15.00 per hour plus benefits.
Administration requests students, faculty and staff to fill out the comment cards when they're made available.
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