Keeping Abreast of the News

Because Foodservice Director is a monthly publication, we have made a conscious effort in recent years, in print at least, to steer clear of reporting on news stories such as the continuing saga of Congress and the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act. There are better publications in which to track such items, and our space is better served by providing information that operators can use to make their programs better.

But that doesn’t mean that we don’t keep tabs on such news. In the case of the child nutrition bill, we will follow up with reaction from school foodservice directors and an analysis of what the legislation could mean for school foodservice, once the bill becomes law.

It was with this same forward thought process that I read in the latest edition of Nation’s Restaurant news of the lawsuits filed by students against the University of Alabama, the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Auburn University over recently enacted mandatory dining programs.

I’ve been in the journalism business long enough to know better than to speculate on rhyme or reason without knowing as many facts as possible. To do this story justice, I’d need to know more about the history of the dining programs at each institution. Were there mandatory meal plans in place at some point in the past? How have these dining programs evolved over the last 15-20 years, and what have been the reasons for their evolution? How do these mandatory programs compare to, and differ from, any previous plans?

But there is little doubt that the resolution of these lawsuits could have tremendous impact on college foodservice programs. If the students win their case, what will happen to contract foodservice in colleges and universities? Will students then go after similar mandatory programs on campuses where the foodservice is self-operated? And, almost as significant, could there be repercussions beyond college foodservice?

We’ll continue to monitor this story. In the meantime, I invite you readers—especially those of you directing university foodservice operations—to weigh in on the topic. Jot down your thoughts and send them to me at [email protected].

P.S. Less than one hour after reading the article in NRN, I received a Google Alert about an article titled: University Dining Issue May Impact Foodservice Contractors. The article was an analysis of the NRN article, written by Kevin Collier, president of K. Collier Marketing and Consulting LLC. At the bottom of the page there was a button you could click, should you desire a consultation with Mr. Collier about this issue. Is this the Internet’s version of an “ambulance chaser?”