Burnaby food services enter new era

"These changes represent an important step forward in fostering a supportive campus environment, a key goal of our new strategic vision,”

SFU president Andrew Petter

Big improvements to food services are coming to the Burnaby campus—including plans for an international food floor in the Mackenzie Café, 24-hour food service in the residence dining hall, and a Starbucks outlet in the West Mall Complex.

Changes also include:

• Extended hours of operation in all locations, well into the evenings and weekends;
• New, healthier and vegetarian foods, and an expanded range of authentic international foods served in the Mackenzie Café;
• An entirely new campus-wide catering service, with a variety of prices including "student budget pricing". This service will be managed by SFU Meetings, Events and Conference Services (MECS) in an upgraded Diamond Alumni Centre.
• A move to more healthy options in vending machines;
• Authentic international foods served in an entirely refurbished Discovery I facility that houses the ever-growing Fraser International College;
• Plus other new venues in the Academic Quadrangle to be announced this fall.

"These changes represent an important step forward in fostering a supportive campus environment, a key goal of our new strategic vision,” said SFU president Andrew Petter.

“Food services on the Burnaby campus were frequently raised during the envision>SFU consultation process. These improvements respond to that concern, and will help create a more positive work and social environment for students, staff and faculty.”         

Mark McLaughlin, executive director of SFU Ancillary Services, says: “The changes are going to be really significant, and reflect what the campus community told us during the two Food for Thought surveys we conducted.

“We had 6,000 people respond to the first survey, and 1,500 talked to us in the second survey. The big concerns expressed were about the value of food services, given the prices. And the ideas people gave us included a wider variety of foods, more international foods, more healthy foods, and extended hours in which food is available.

“We have listened, and these changes will bring SFU and Canadian university dining into a whole new era, I call it Food 2.0."

McLaughlin added: “These changes include the introduction in September 2012 of Canada’s first residence dining hall that is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“We are moving away from the ‘Declining Balance’ residence meal-plan to one we are calling ‘Anytime Dining’. No longer will residence students run out of meal-money before the semester is up. And they will be able to eat as often as they choose, all this at the same per-semester price as last year.”

The changes are reflected in a five-year renewal of the SFU Food Services contract with the Compass Group (Chartwells Canada). That renewal was approved today by the SFU Board of Governors.

Other improvements in the residence dining hall will include the introduction of “Pulse on Dining” and “My Pantry”, two Chartwells concepts popular in the U.S. and Atlantic Canada.

This revamped facility will focus on made-to-order cooking, and allow students to cook their favourite meals themselves and for their friends using ingredients that they will find in “My Pantry”. A chef will be close by to lend a hand with recipes. An expanded fresh fruit and salad bar responds to student demand for fresh, healthy, and local products.