5 things: Sodexo reports 35.9% revenue drop in North American On-site Services for FY2020

Each Friday Food Management compiles a list that highlights five things you probably missed in the onsite foodservice news that week and why you should care about them.

Here’s your list for the week of October 26:

For its 2020 fiscal year ended Aug. 31, Sodexo reported an overall organic revenue decline of 12%, including a 12.1% decline for its On-site Services division that includes managed services like foodservice and represents the bulk of the company's business. The North American unit saw a "significant" revenue decline of 35.9% in its On-site Services operations, larger than the declines in either Europe (-28.4%) or the rest of the world (-5.2%).

Read more: Fiscal 2020 Results: Sodexo effectively manages through an unprecedented crisis, confident in its business model for the future

Chartwells Higher Education has announced its Path Forward plan for campus dining in 2021 that was informed by responses to a recent survey it conducted regarding expectations for colleges going forward. Among survey findings are that nearly 70% are looking for ways to continue to offer take-away in-resident dining as well as reopen resident dining halls, and over 50% are interested in mobile ordering and pick-up retail that eliminates checkouts and want options for on-campus delivery.

Related:5 coronavirus things: Free school meals extended to overseas U.S. military bases

Among solutions included in the Path Forward plan are nontraditional meal plans customized to changing student needs, pared-down commercial cooking spaces (ghost kitchens) with no dine-in option that helps streamline inventory and menu management and new catering options incorporating popular food trends that can be used with small gatherings to support CDC guidelines that limit group sizes.

Read more: Chartwells Higher Education Releases Innovative Plan for the Future of Campus Dining

Dining venues at Miami University are facing a student employee shortage that is hampering operations as the COVID pandemic has deterred the return to campus of many student employees. The result has been the closure of some outlets such as the Maplestreet Commons stir fry station.

Read more: Dining halls face employee shortages

Some New York City companies such as real estate firm SL Green and financial firm Goldman Sachs are offering free lunch to entice workers back to the office because despite state rules that now allow office workers to return, roughly 85% of the city’s office workers remain at home, according to research data and surveys. For example, an analysis of key-card entries in thousands of office buildings in 10 cities found that only San Francisco had a lower office occupancy than New York.

Related:5 coronavirus things: Georgia State closes Perimeter campus dining halls for rest of fall

Read more: These Are the Perks Companies Use to Get Workers Back to Their Offices

Dining tables in Duke University’s Brodhead Center, Marketplace and Bryan Center have been roped off in response to a growing number of COVID-19 cases locally and nationwide, according to Robert Coffey, executive director of dining services.

“Duke Medical experts have identified two primary drivers of viral spread based on experiences to date: eating with others and gathering in small groups of just 2-3 people,” Coffey wrote in an email to The Duke Chronicle. “Based on this and because of the spike in cases nationally and locally, Duke Dining has been [advised] to transition to no dine-in options and offer pick-up/to-go options in our venues. Outdoor seating will remain available with the proper social distancing standards being followed and only having masks down while eating.”

Read more: Dining seating, already scarce, now taped off as COVID-19 precaution

Bonus: Meet the 2020 Food Management Best Sandwiches winners

Contact Mike Buzalka at [email protected]