5 things: Compass North America sees 14% organic revenue gain in Q3

In this edition of 5 Things, Food Management highlights five things you may have missed recently about developments affecting onsite dining.

Here’s your list for today:

 1.    Compass North America sees 14% organic revenue gain in Q3

Compass Group reported third quarter revenue grew 14% organically for its North American unit, slightly under the 15% increase posted by the company as a whole. The company noted in its release that "outsourcing trends remain strong and are contributing to an exciting pipeline of new business opportunities across all our regions. Whilst inflation remains elevated, we are making margin progress by mitigating cost pressures, pricing appropriately and benefiting from operational leverage."

Read more: Third Quarter Trading Update

 2.    Study looks at plant-based defaults in college dining halls

New research spearheaded by Food for Climate League in collaboration with Better Food Foundation, Sodexo and three different university dining halls, found that swapping out meat entrees for plant-based ones reduces greenhouse gas emissions and improves the likelihood diners will opt for the plant-based dish. The first study to test offering plant based defaults across three different all-you-can-eat university dining halls, it found that dining halls that consistently offered a plant-based dish as the default experienced a surge in how often diners went with a plant-based choice—increasing the “average plant-based take rate” from around 30 percent to 81.5 percent.

Related:5 things: Billboard mocks planned Chick-fil-A in Children’s Hospital

Read more: Colleges Reduce Emissions by Offering Plant-Based Options by Default, Study Finds

 3.    Aramark expands campus sandwich concept

Aramark Collegiate Hospitality is expanding its The Spread sandwich concept to allow students and guests to build their own sandwiches, choosing from a selection of fillings, breads, wraps, toppings, and spreads. “The Spread was originally developed as a concept featuring toasted sub sandwiches,” said Chief Marketing Officer Karen Parker. “Based on feedback and market trends, our chefs reimagined the menu to satisfy every taste and we updated the marketing to add to the customization opportunities to tailor the concept to fit the specifics of the unique campus experience.”

Read more: Building the Perfect Sandwich 101: The Spread

 4.    Hospital opens 24/7 cafe addition

A new standalone cafe created due to a change in hours of the regular cafeteria that now closes mid-afternoon at Methodist Hospital-Atascosa in Texas is designed to provide options to staff and visitors 24/7. The new cafe will be available with prepped meals and drinks giving staff and visitors the opportunity to grab a snack, meal or simply coffee at anytime after hours.

Related:5 tech things: Chartwells looks to add more automated pizzerias to campuses

Read more: New addition to cafeteria opens at Methodist Hospital | Atascosa

 5.    Shorter games don’t mean less concessions sales in Cleveland ballpark   

Fans are spending less time at Cleveland Guardians games Progressive Field this year, but they’re buying just as many concessions as they used to, despite shorter baseball games. The games are half an hour shorter on average after changes this season like the new pitch clock to speed the games, but each fan is spending about 3% to 4% more, said Kurt Schloss, senior vice president of ballpark services for the Guardians.

Read more: The pitch clock shortened games, but Cleveland Guardians fans are spending more on beer, food

Bonus: Ohio State’s Chef David Wolf wins NACUFS Culinary Competition

Contact Mike Buzalka at [email protected]