Student outrage over the previous Rhodes College food service provider, Aramark, ended with the introduction of Cafe Bon Appétit to the campus. Cafe Bon Appétit, based in Palo Alto, California, has been the subject of both praise and controversy with the beginning of the school year, as students have noticed both the improvement of the food and the disappearance of some familiar faces.

Ameley Lawson ’21 noticed early on that some of her favorite Refectory employees were no longer present when she went to eat, leaving her confused. She spoke to some of the employees still working at Rhodes and said she was unhappy with what she heard. 

“A lot of the complaints have been about management,” Lawson said. “We were told that the workers would get to stay but we weren’t told how management was gonna be.” 

Former Refectory employee Tina Brooks felt that she and some of her coworkers were being pushed out by the new company. Brooks had worked for Rhodes under Aramark for five years but left soon after Cafe Bon Appétit took over. She feels that the new food provider has unreasonable expectations for their workers.

“I worked almost five hours without a break and I let Ms. Dorris know around 10 something that I hadn’t had a break. Her response was she hadn’t had a break either so another hour went by, that’s when somebody came to relieve me for a break,” Brooks said.

Dave Viveralli, district manager of Cafe Bon Appétit, said on behalf of the company that a lot of the issues are simply growing pains.

“Our employees are undergoing a major transition — a total culture shift between two companies,” Viveralli said. “Everyone is learning right now: new people, new skills, and new ways of handling things.”

Brooks had further complaints about the poor treatment she and her coworkers dealt with, which she said goes beyond a simple transition period. She believes it is rather a matter of how the company treats its workers in general.

“Everybody is overworked and they don’t care. That’s why a lot of people are leaving, because they don’t care,” Brooks said. “They don’t talk to people with respect.”

Brooks elaborated further on her impression of people being overworked.

“They also have the elderly people working doubles. These people are in their ‘60s and ‘70s, but they feel they have to because they need their job”

In response, Viveralli went into detail for the Sou’wester about the Cafe Bon Appétit breaks and shifts policies.

“Regular work shifts, overtime, and additional shifts are offered on a voluntary basis to all employees without regard to a person’s age,” Vivarelli said. “We schedule full-time employees, on average, 30- to 40-hours weekly; we try to avoid scheduling overtime. Our policy is for employees to receive a scheduled 30-minute unpaid meal break and at least one 10-minute unscheduled paid break for each five-hour shift worked.”

A Refectory employee who has stayed through the changeover, but has requested to remain anonymous, confirmed that while there was confusion and anger among the employees in the beginning, things have begun to move in the right direction.

“Corporate just had to come in and show them how to do it,” the employee said.

Beyond the change in faces and work policies, students have begun noticing changes in the operation of cafeterias on campus. Lawson commented on the options available to students.

“Our choices, especially at the Lair, are now limited, so that’s a big thing people are complaining about now,” Lawson said. “If I’m gonna be using my LynxBucks when I could go off campus to crosstown to use my LynxBucks there, I’d rather not eat at the Lair and then go to Crosstown and get food there.”

Lawson also mentioned the new policy against using a Rhodes number in the absence of a Lynx card.

“You can’t use your R number anymore, which sucks for some friends because you accidentally forget your Lynx card in your room… you have to go all the way back to your room or you just don’t eat,” Lawson said. “If you’re in a time crunch you know, you don’t have time, especially if you live off campus.”

Viveralli said the change in policy is meant to reduce human errors and to decrease the wait time for diners.

“Meal plan IDs are required for access to meal plans and other tenders loaded on cards to reduce the incidence of errors that result from manual entry, to keep the line moving efficiently during peak periods, and for security purposes,” Viveralli said.

Despite the complaints, Viveralli said that Cafe Bon Appétit is dedicated to providing the best food possible for Rhodes students and welcomes feedback from the students, staff, and faculty. He is confident that while the transition period is challenging, it will not last forever, and shared with the Sou’wester the changes that Cafe Bon Appétit has implemented that he considers positive.

“The Lynx Lair is now offering an exciting Taste of Memphis platform that has been very popular,” Viveralli said. “In addition, Sushi With Gusto offers freshly made sushi options daily, as well as sushi burritos, donburi rice bowls, and poke bowls made to order. At Middle Ground we have partnered with the local French Truck Coffee shop in the Crosstown Concourse to provide fresh roasted small batch coffee for both brewed and espresso drinks.”

Viveralli also told the Sou’wester about Cafe Bon Appétit’s upcoming projects meant to improve the Rhodes dining experience.

“In the Refectory we opened the Kitchen Counter, which currently offers meal plan dining options to go,” Viveralli said. “Over the next several weeks, new hot holding equipment will arrive for use at the Kitchen Counter and we will offer curated dishes from the days’ menu that are packaged and ready to go for students that are in a hurry.”

As a new figure in the Rhodes community, it is still too early to tell if Cafe Bon Appétit is here to stay or if it will suffer the same fate as its predecessor. While students and staff have voiced complaints about the new managerial style, according to Lawson, there is a consensus on one thing. “The food is definitely better,” she said.