(-- The Beacon)
By Caleb Patterson
You are what you eat. Simple, yet profound.
At the University of Portland, students enjoy some of the finest quality food available, at a price paid daily at the cash register.
The current dining system of the University of Portland is a fine example of what can happen when there is a monopoly on a good or service.
Unlike the postal system or U.S. social security, which are restricted by heavy oversight, or patents which only affect a product for a limited length of time, the University of Portland is neither placing any restrictions on the price of food or the allowable profit margin of its food service, nor is it limiting the length of contract exclusivity.
Welcome to America: land of the free and home of the Pilots! Where competitive markets exist and consumers are not beholden to any one entity for a product.
Don't like PC? Buy mac or use Linux.
Don't like cars? Ride a bike.
Don't like meat? Try vegan.
And, welcome to the University of Portland: home of Bon Appétit. The management thinks the customers are stealing and the customers think the provider is overcharging. Clearly this is not the place where everybody knows your name.
According to University President Fr. Bill Beauchamp C.S.C., the campus crime report is accurate. This means there are not 70 students a week stealing from Bon Appétit. To reiterate what Fr. Beauchamp stated at his fireside chat, he has full faith in the honesty of the student body, and theft at The Commons is not as overblown as Beacon reporter Amanda Blas would have us believe.
Strike one for Kirk Mustain.
I agree with Kirk Mustain about the rising price of food, any good student would agree, on a national scale, but Bon Appétit claims to buy local. Local food supplies from the farm have not risen in the past few years, from cattle feed and beef to the price of wheat and bread. Franz Bread and Anderson Dairy have remained relatively unaffected by our nation's drought struggles. The price of food from local farmers, specifically for corn and wheat, has not gone up, I know because, like Bon Appétit claims, I buy local.
While we're on the topic of local, tell me, where exactly are you buying those $1 local bananas? They must be growing them in a little farm just south of here in Nowhere, Ore. Looks like you're not buying as local as you would have us believe.
Strike one for Bon Appétit.
Funny Kirk should mention number one sellers. It seems that the vast majority of the price increases occurred only on your top selling items such as burgers and wraps, while lower selling items such as pizza and pasta didn't change. In a monopoly if you want to maximize profit you increase the price of things that sell better.
I agree, bananas are a loss leader, and Fred Meyer is not a fair comparison. Allow me to compare Bon Appétit to Burgerville. Similar business practices, local sustainable quality, similar style, similar quantity of sales per day. Yet that's where the analogy ends.
Burgerville, a company that faces fierce competition from McDonalds, Burger King and Taco Bell, offers an identical 1/4 -pound hamburger for $1.50 less and a 1/2-pound hamburger for $3.50 less than Bon Appétit.
One major granted difference is that Burgerville typically charges for all beverages, but since Kirk Mustain said that Bon Appétit sells over 33,000 beverages this is still a fair comparison. I want fair competition for my burger business; give me a Burgerville 1/4-pound burger.
Another comparison that I can draw is the pizza. A large cheese pizza from Bon Appétit sells for $13. Going down the street where Nicola's Pizza – a company that faces competition from its neighbors Pizza Hut and Dominos – also sells a large pizza for $13. The difference if you carry out: Nicolas Pizza is nearly 6 ounces heavier, due to a thicker crust and nearly twice as much cheese. No matter how you look at it, the fair market comparison is not looking good.
Strike two for Bon Appétit.
I own a business, and I work hard to make a profit. I understand that Oregon takes 25 percent out of your paycheck and good employees such as the great ones at Bon Appétit are valuable. The variety of food is alright. The quality for the price is fair – it's just the price is not so fair. This isn't Ruth's Chris, but the prices are quickly encroaching on Portland City Grill. Either improve the quality and quantity or decrease the price. It seems that Bon Appétit is doing very well. Would Bon Appétit willingly accept a gross profit cap of less than 25% imposed by ASUP?
One recommendation I would like to offer for your consideration is a seasonal menu that more accurately reflects the food your growers are producing. I'll be the first in line for a slice of pie, or cranberry bread.
Another that you might try is to have a pay by the pound option for green salad (specifically only with vegetables, no protein). This should be easy to calculate a reasonable value that only punishes consumers who overindulge.
