Improvement on menu?

MICHAEL POTESTIO STAFF REPORTER michael@kamloopsthisweek.com

Public complaints of poor food quality, unjust pricing and long lineups at public sporting facilities has a Kamloops council committee seeking options for improvement of food services at its venues.

The city’s community and protective services committee has asked staff to prepare options for council to consider changing the contract with its primary food service provider in the future after reviewing an 18-page report outlining its history and challenges.

The committee made the recommendation by a 2-1 vote, with councillors Kelly Hall (chair) and Katie Neustaeter in favour and Dale Bass opposed, citing undue staff workload.

Neustaeter said she feels the current one-contract food services model the city has with Compass Group Canada isn’t working and council needs to discuss alternatives.

“What a lot of this seems to come down to is a problem with cost, quality, communication and a monopoly that is not solving any of those problems,” Neustaeter said, noting the addition of competition is something the city needs to consider to improve the service.

According to the report, staffing issues, inflation, uncertainty of events during the pandemic and people bringing their own food have been issues.

Compass is contracted to provide food and beverage services for sports and private events at McArthur Island

Sports and Event Centre, Tournament Capital Ranch and Sandman Centre, where it is the master concessionaire, presiding over multiple subcontractors.

Sean Smith, the city’s business operations and events supervisor, told the committee the negative feedback his office and the Kamloops Blazers have received has dropped off “considerably” and is “almost to zero” from what was received in 2018 and 2019.

“I see the trajectory improving,” Smith said, noting Compass has hired new staff for Kamloops in the past six months and he feels the company is on the right track.

Neustaeter said she is hopeful, but noted she isn’t confident in that assessment after reading the report.

Reported issues at Sandman Centre include long lines and wait times at concession stands, expensive pricing, poor food quality and vendors running out of product.

On McArthur Island, Compass is responsible for the Sports Centre Lounge and main concession at the Sport and Event Centre at the North Shore site, where the company has experienced staffing shortages and a lack of sales to justify increased hours of operation.

Hall noted it was a missed opportunity when he noticed the lounge remained closed during the December Kamloops International Bantam Ice Hockey Tournament.

Staffing shortages also persist at the Tournament Capital Ranch and the lone concession at the Rayleigh location has had difficulty keeping up with demand, the report stated.

According to the report, one reason for poor service at Sandman Centre is that, for decades, the downtown arena did not have a commercial kitchen, though the basement was set up for one. A kitchen was installed in February 2020, just weeks before the pandemic was declared, and the current Blazers season has been the first time it has been utilized.

Compass has also had difficulty recruiting staff for the arena, leaving it shorthanded when the Blazers’ season began last fall. The report stated a new point of sale system, purchased by Compass in August 2021, has reduced wait times.

According to Smith, Compass’ monopoly stems from it having been the only vendor with extensive experience in providing food and beverage service to large-scale operations to bid on contracts. Smith said food trucks would undercut the attractiveness of the concessionaire contract.

Compass has had the contract at all three facilities for many years, with few other companies bidding. Other city parks are serviced by permitted food trucks, while Taste Kitchen Inc. services the Tournament Capital Centre next to Thompson Rivers University.

The Compass contract at Sandman Centre expires in 2024, while the contract for both McArthur Island Sport and Event Centre and Tournament Capital Ranch was awarded in 2022 for three years, with a pair of one-year extension options, Smith said.