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franklin Friday, April 10, 2015 • TheFranklinNews.com
Sodexo Behind the Glass: Food service provider pays thousands of dollars to replace stolen, broken plates By Ellie Price
ellen.price@franklincollege.edu
Sodexo has spent $32,838 on large and small plates, bowls, silverware and cups to replace stolen and broken china so far this school year. Les Petroff, food services director, said he plans to order a usual amount of additional items in April for $3,000 to $3,500. He ordered $6,258 worth of plates, bowls, silverware and cups in August to prepare for the school year. “I don’t care when people return them – whether it’s the end of the semester or on a weekend,” Petroff said. “But if we could just get it back, it would just make things easier. I’d rather spend money on food than on china.” Petroff said Sodexo does not track its number of plates because the count changes daily. He said he has a good idea of the number available based on Sodexo’s plate racks. He said he orders more when Sodexo has only 200 or 300 plates left. When Petroff tried to order more plates most recently, the current plates were out-of-stock. So Sodexo started to serve more paper products, an expensive solution that hurts the environment, Petroff said. But within three days after his call, Sodexo had only 100 plates left. Petroff rush ordered a similar
model – the thinner, less sturdy plates Sodexo currently uses. Petroff said some of the replacements are due to plates breaking and chipping from employees and students dropping them. “Breakage happens,” Petroff said. “But this amount is not all breakage.” He said Sodexo typically starts running out of plates in September when students return to campus. “I don’t know if people just all get a set for the dorm,” Petroff said. “I don’t know how it works. But unfortunately, a lot of them also go in the garbage. And that’s why we have to replace them so often.” Petroff said a custodian came to him years ago saying that she couldn’t lift a garbage bag. When she looked inside, it was full of Sodexo plates and cups, he said. Sodexo started putting boxes in dorm hallways for students to put the plates and silverware they took to their dorms. But when students didn’t scrape their plates, the old food started attracting gnats and bugs. When people put full cups inside, the liquid would seep out of the box. “Due to sanitary reasons, we stopped doing it,” Petroff said. “And
Ellie Price: The Franklin
Because of stolen and broken plates, Sodexo has fewer plates available for students to use. now we obviously don’t get a lot back that leave the building.” Sodexo, not the college, pays to replace all of the missing china. Petroff said he’s still not sure why he has to replace so much. He said Sodexo tries to offer disposable, plastic cups, so students can take a drink with them to class and then throw the cup away. But Petroff said custodians still find the hard, plastic cups in academic buildings and dorms. “Sometimes I’ll see people bring back a stack of six plates and 10 cups,” Petroff said. “I appreciate that. It ends up saving money.” Petroff met with Student Congress a few weeks ago to let them know the costs to replace stolen china. Junior Nick Sanders, a member of Student Congress, said the organization hopes to start a campaign of informational posters to let students know where their money goes. “We’re all affected by it,” Sanders said. “And our money could go other places.”
Cost to purchase items per dozen: Large plates: $26.28 Small plates: $15.08 Bowls: $18.10 Cups: $8.77 Silverware: $4.56 Source: Les Petroff
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