Food Services looks for ways to augment performance

Published: Monday, March 31, 1997

Monday, March 31, 1997

ASUCLA:

Despite higher sales, division has not met budget projectionsBy Frances Lee

Daily Bruin Contributor

It has the students' association seeing red, and relief rests on the tastes of 30,000 students.

Competition, from sack lunches to the 99-cent Whopper, overly optimistic budget projections and the difficult task of satisfying the needs of a diverse student population all these factors have contributed to the ASUCLA Food Services division's poor performance over the past six years.

And while food operations has failed to meet its projected budget since 1991, there has been a steady increase in sales each year.

The problem lies in "putting down what we wanted to achieve" in food sales as opposed to what the association could realistically expect, said ASUCLA Executive Director Patricia Eastman.

In 1992, for example, food sales totaled $13.6 million. For the following year, the division's budget was projected at $14.8 million. The actual performance in 1993 saw an increase of only $51,000 over the previous year, falling $1.2 million short of the projected budget.

The division's constant failure to meet expectations in spite of rising sales is cause for concern among many board members, especially after a substantial investment in several new campus eateries over the past few years.

Sales from Northern Lights, which opened last year, are $140,000 below the coffee shop's projected budget for this year, while other campus restaurants continue to lag behind the board's expectations.

But the new outlets' performance shows that they need time to find their niche, said ASUCLA Food Services Director Kert Evans.

There is always room for improvement in terms of service and menu options, which is why "Year One (totals) aren't happening as quickly as we'd hoped," he added.

Evans cited the Tropix juice and coffee bar in Ackerman Union as an example. After two years of trial and error, "Tropix has hit its stride and is improving. We believe Northern Lights, in another year and a half, will be right on our projections," he said.

According to a market research survey performed in 1992, quality, convenience and value were three main factors that students considered when determining where to eat.

And according to some students, campus restaurants sometimes don't meet even these basic needs.

"The food's OK for a college campus," said Diana Lee, a fourth-year English student. "It does seem like a rip-off sometimes, but what else can I do? I've got to eat."

This half-hearted enthusiasm for campus food is a sentiment echoed by many students and board members alike, and it worries the students' association.

"This board is extremely frustrated by Food Services," said board member Dave Kopplin.

ASUCLA Board of Directors Vice Chair Jim Friedman noted that "we're not raising prices, but we've introduced new, higher priced items" a problem that he wants to see resolved.

According to Evans, the price of a sample meal consisting of an entree and drink has risen by an average of 2.8 percent per year since 1990.

By comparison, the price for the same combination increased an average of 3.8 percent per year over the same period in the Los Angeles area, Evans said, placing ASUCLA food at a competitive advantage over the surrounding community.

But even lower average prices can't seem to make a dent in the division's performance.

"We have many items on the menu that are fairly priced, but we're fighting the 99-cent burger war," Evans said.

Increasing menu variety while trying to meet the student population's expectations is difficult, he added. While major fast-food chains can lure customers in with free soda refills and cutthroat prices, ASUCLA doesn't have too many of the same options if the board is to control costs and keep prices low, Evans said.

At the moment, increasing customers and food quality is a top priority for the board. Discounts, promotions and the adoption of the ubiquitous "value meal" are all measures that the board is considering in order to increase customer satisfaction and service.

By this summer, ASUCLA hopes to have a new market research survey completed in an effort to find out what customers want and how to give it to them.