On Campus

University food services expand beyond campus walls

More money can be made serving good food with a smaller profit margin

Food services of St. John’s College (disclosure: I’m a member of the college) at the University of Manitoba has won a contract to provide food services at the Government of Canada’s Freshwater Institute.

The Freshwater Institute is located within the University of Manitoba grounds but is independent of the university.

St. John’s College has also been granted the food services contract at St. Andrew’s College.

In both cases, it was the reputation of St. John’s food that gained the college the new locations.

When I was fighting the horrible food served by Aramark at the University of Manitoba in my first year, I noted there was more money to be made in serving good food at a smaller profit margin than serving extremely poor food at a high profit margin to a captive audience.

This proves the point, a small college operation is winning contracts instead of companies like Aramark.

Looking for more?

Get the Best of Maclean's sent straight to your inbox. Sign up for news, commentary and analysis.
  • By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.