by
      Jessica
      Beebe
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Food
      services
      satisfactory,
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      It
      is
      hard
      to
      study
      on
      an
     
     
      empty
      stomach.
     
    

    
     
      Whether
      living
      in
      residence
     
     
      or
      off
      campus,
      UPEI
      students
      use
     
     
      campus
      food
      services.
      Although
     
    
   
   
    
     
      there
      are
      few
      complaints,
      some
      feel
     
     
      there
      is
      room
      for
      improvement.
     
    

    
     
      Residence
      students
      seem
      to
     
     
      be
      relatively
      happy
      with
      the
      food
     
     
      service
      provided
      at
      the
      Wanda
     
     
      Wyatt
      dining
      hall.
     
    

    
     
      Kelly
      Richardson,
      a
      first
     
     
      year
      music
      student
      and
      Bernadine
     
     
      resident,
      feels
      that
      the
      food
      service
     
     
      is
      worth
      it.
      “It’s
      a
      bit
      expensive
      but
     
     
      compared
      to
      my
      cooking,
      it’s
     
     
      worth
      it,”
      said
      Richardson.
      “I
     
     
      depend
      on
      the
      cafeteria
      because
      it
     
     
      is
      convenient
      for
      me
      [as]
      opposed
     
     
      to
      going
      to
      a
      restaurant.
      Most
      of
      the
     
     
      staff
      are
      very
      friendly
      and
      the
      cafe-
     
     
      teria
      is
      kept
      pretty
      neat
      for
      the
     
     
      amount
      of
      people
      who
      come
      in
      and
     
     
      out
      of
      there.”
     
    

    
     
      But
      she
      feels
      that
      the
      quali-
     
     
      ty
      of
      food
      has
      declined.
      “At
      the
     
     
      beginning
      of
      the
      year,
      the
      food
      was
     
     
      really
      good
      but
      then
      it
      sort
      of
      went
     
     
      down
      hill
      a
      bit,”
      Richardson
      said.
     
     
      “I
      wouldn’t
      add
      any
      new
      food
     
     
      places
      though.
      It
      would
      just
      be
     
     
      another
      place
      to
      spend
      more
     
     
      money”
     
    

    
     
      Marion
      Foster,
      a
      first
      year
     
     
      arts
      student,
      thinks
      that
      Cara
      Foods
     
     
      is
      a
      good
      organization,
      as
      well.
     
    

    
     
      “It’s
      better
      than
      a
      lot
      of
     
     
      other
      cafeteria
      organizations,”
      said
     
     
      Foster.
      Some
      things
      are
      a
      little
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
     
    
   
   
    
     
      expensive
      but
      the
      staff
      are
      friendly
     
     
      and
      helpful
      as
      well.
      It
      seems
      to
      be
     
     
      very
      clean
      and
      well
      kept.”
      says
     
     
      Foster.
      She
      adds,
      “It
      would
      be
      nice
     
     
      if
      they
      added
      a
      Smoothy
      Bar
      that
     
     
      served
      frosted
      drinks
     
     
      though.”
     
     
      Students
      who
      live
      in
     
     
      residence)
      can
      choose
     
     
      from
      several
      different
     
     
      Cara
      Foods
      meal
      plans,
     
     
      explained
      Terry
     
     
      Lawrence,
      Food
     
     
      Service
      Director.
      These
     
     
      include
      a
      10,
      14
      or
      19
     
     
      meal
      plan
      which
     
     
      requires
      students
      to
      eat
     
    
   
   
    
     
      that
      amount
      of
      meals
      in
      a
      week
      at
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      dining
      hall.
      Meals
      missed
      are
     
     
      reimbursed
      with
      rebate
      tickets.
     
     
      “Once
      the
      week
      is
      up,
      the
     
     
      plan
      is
      done,
      giving
      students
      very
     
     
      little
      flexibility,’
      |
      explained
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘Lawrence.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      50,
      60
      and
      80
      meal
      plans
     
     
      for
      the
      Wanda
      Wyatt
      are
      available
     
     
      to
      students
      living
      off-campus.
     
     
      These
      meal
      plans
      are
      not
      time
      sen-
     
     
      sitive
      and
      do
      not
      have
      to
      be
      used
      on
     
     
      a
      week
      to
      week
      basis.
     
    

    
     
      “This
      option
      is
      more
      popu-
     
     
      lar
      because
      it
      is
      more
      flexible
      and
     
     
      allows
      a
      number
      of
      students
      to
      use
     
     
      one
      card,”
      said
      Lawrence.
      Without
     
     
      the
      meal
      plan
      an
      all
      you
      can
      eat
     
     
      lunch
      at
      the
      Wanda
      Wyatt
      costs
     
     
      $6.50,
      and
      an
      all
      you
      can
      eat
      dinner
     
    
   
   
    
     
      $7.50.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “Overall,
      the
      students
      seem
     
     
      very
      satisfied
      with
      the
      food
      service
     
     
      provided
      here,”
      Lawrence
      said.
     
     
      “We
      are
      also
      very
      open
      to
      sugges-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      tions
      on
      how
      to
      improve
      our
      serv-~-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ices:
     
    

    
     
      Cara
      foods
      has
      operated
      at
     
     
      UPEI
      since
      1997,
      explained
      Marc
     
     
      Braithwaite,
      Manager
      of
     
     
      Residence,
      Food
      and
      Conference
     
     
      Service.
      The
      company
      owns
      the
     
     
      rights
      and
      license
      of
      such
      compa-
     
     
      nies
      as
      Harvey’s,
      Swiss
      Chalet,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Tim
      Horton’s,
      Second
      Cup,
      Pizza
     
     
      Pizza,
      and
      Captain
      Submarine.
     
    

    
     
      All
      food
      service
      and
      cater-
     
     
      ing
      equipment,
      and
      snack
      venders
     
     
      on
      campus
      are
      owned
      by
      the
      uni-
     
     
      versity,
      but
      are
      managed
      by
      Cara
     
     
      Foods.
      “In
      their
      contract,
      Cara
      is
     
     
      the
      managing
      company
      who
      is
     
     
      responsible
      for
      hiring
      staff,
      prepar-
     
     
      ing
      and
      serving
      food
      and
      stocking
     
     
      the
      vending
      machines,”
      added
     
     
      Braithwaite.
     
    

    
     
      There
      is
      discussion
      about
     
     
      what
      type
      of
      food
      service
      will
      be
     
     
      available
      in
      the
      new
      Student
     
     
      Building.
      “We
      want
      to
      provide
      a
     
     
      food
      service
      that
      is
      unique
      and
      dif-
     
     
      ferent
      form
      the
      AVC
      and
      the
      other
     
     
      dining
      halls
      on
      campus,”
      says
     
     
      Braithwaite,
      adding
      that
      students
     
     
      are
      now
      eating
      healthier
      than
      the
     
     
      usual
      burger
      and
      fries.
      “This
      is
     
     
      good
      because
      eating
      healthy
      food
     
    
   
   
    
     
      make
      you
      feel
      better,
      perks
      you
      up
     
     
      and
      helps
      you
      to
      perform
      better
      in
     
     
      class.”
     
    

    
     
      “We
      also
      have
      to
      keep
      in
     
     
      mind
      that
      the
      University
      has
      to
      pro-
     
     
      vide
      all
      the
      equipment
      for
      the
     
     
      Student
      Centre,”
      Braithwaite
      said,
     
     
      “so
      it
      is
      important
      to
      have
      a
      proper
     
     
      mix
      of
      service
      that
      the
      students
      will
     
     
      support
      and
      buy.
      Right
      now,
      we
     
     
      are
      lacking
      a
      consistent
      hot
      food
     
     
      option
      so
      that
      is
      also
      being
      consid-
     
     
      cred,
      -
     
    

    
     
      Students
      have
      made
      sever-
     
     
      al
      requests
      for
      particular
      food
      serv-
     
     
      ices
      on
      campus.
      Tim
      Horton’s
      is
     
     
      the
      most
      popular
      thus
      far.
      But
      this
     
     
      may
      create
      a
      problem.
     
    

    
     
      “Cara
      Foods
      have
      to
      secure
     
     
      a
      contract
      and
      the
      licensing
      rights
     
     
      to
      do
      this
      and
      it
      is
      under
      negotia-
     
     
      tion
      right
      now,”
      explained
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Braithwaite.
      “The
      only
      problem
      is
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Check
      out
      our
     
     
      high
      tech
      equipment