5 things: Orange County Schools offering $3,500 bonus for cafeteria workers

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:

Orange County Public Schools in Florida, one of the largest districts in the country, is looking to hire 150 candidates to work in its cafeterias and is offering a signing bonus of up to $3,500 for anyone who signs on before Oct. 8. It consists of a $2,500 bonus for signing on early atop a $1,000 bonus for signing on before the end of 2021.

Read more: Orange County Public Schools offering $3,500 signing bonus for cafeteria workers

Harvard University Dining Services (HUDS) has withdrawn the proposed schedules it sent to its dining services union the previous month after the union alleged it would eliminate 20% of current full-time jobs at the residential houses and 8% of total hours. The schedules were originally designed to accommodate changes HUDS is making to undergraduate dining options, including an expanded weekend brunch and meal time changes, and now that they are voided, HUDS will either maintain hours for current dining services employees or work with the union to create new schedules, the department announced.

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Read more: Harvard Withdraws Proposed Dining Schedules Following Union’s Concerns Over Reduced Hours

A majority investment in FM Top 50 firm Whitsons Culinary Group is being acquired by its management in partnership with private equity firm GenNx360 Capital Partners. Whitsons, which operates school nutrition, residential and healthcare dining, prepared meals and emergency dining services throughout the Northeast, will continue under the management of Paul Whitcomb as CEO and Beth Bunster as CFO, with other members of the Whitcomb family also remaining active in the business.

Read more: GenNx360 Capital Partners Announces Majority Investment in Whitsons Culinary Group

Prepared meals vendor Revolution Foods has announced its conversion to a Delaware Public Benefit Corporation (PBC) following a $60 million funding round led by investment firm L2 Point and investment funds managed by Morgan Stanley Private Credit. Since its inception in 2006, Revolution Foods has designed, produced and delivered close to 500 million healthy meals to clients such as school districts, charter schools, community and major city feeding programs, childhood education centers, senior programs and afterschool youth programs across 23 states. "The transition to a PBC marks an important milestone in our journey while also aligning with our broader company mission to transform citywide wellness," said CEO/Co-founder Kristin Groos Richmond. "The Board's approval of this critical measure, coupled with L2 Point and Morgan Stanley Private Credit's significant investments, will enable us to strengthen our infrastructure and innovation while we expand into new channels and regional markets."

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Read more: Revolution Foods Becomes a Public Benefit Corporation as it Delivers 76 Millionth Meal During the Pandemic

Starting in October, the 34 cafeterias serving students at 20 universities in Berlin, Germany, will become primarily meat-free with only one meat option offered on four days of the week and Mondays being completely meatless. As a result, the menus will be 68% vegan, 28% vegetarian and only 4% containing meat or fish.

Read more: Berlin University Cafeterias Remove Meat from Menus to Reduce Climate Change

Bonus: Hoosier Village creates “residents’ favorite dining destination”

Contact Mike Buzalka at [email protected]