Students question food prices

How far will Flex Dollars stretch? That’s the question that some Boise State students ask this semester as they try to figure out which of the restaurants on campus best suit their tastes – and budgets.

With several new dining facilities in the recently-opened Interactive Learning Center, the choices have grown, and so has the debate concerning food prices. Some ILC customers, like student Jennifer Llewellyn, think the food is overpriced.

 “If you went across the street, like to Quizno’s, it’s cheaper,” Llewellyn said.

Before the new facilities opened, students with classes on the west side of campus had the option of either going to Subway in the Science/Nursing Building or walking across campus to the Student Union Building.

A comparison of items for sale in both the SUB and ILC reveals many are priced similarly. Smoothies and convenience store items cost the same, while lattes, burgers and chicken sandwiches vary between 10 and 30 cents.

The most significant difference is the cost of pizza: a slice of pepperoni pizza at Bene in the ILC sells for a dollar less than at Chicago Connection in the SUB.

“I think the prices here are pretty fair,” Whitney Kamerdula, a BSU student employed at Java City in the ILC, said.

“I think you’d get the same price anywhere else in school,” Victoria Pollard, a coffee shop employee, said. “The hamburgers are like $2.90, so it’s pretty reasonable.”

Aramark General Manager Jim Emmons said food prices at BSU are generally lower than prices at other campuses.

Aramark is the company that contracts with the university to provide food service on campus.

It also recommends food prices for the restaurants with the exception of franchises such as Subway and Starbucks.

Executive Director of Campus Services Kim Thomas administrates the food service contract between Aramark and BSU. Before prices can be set, BSU requires a market survey, a U.S. Department of Agriculture list of wholesale food prices and statistics from the Department of Labor. While Aramark recommends prices, the university ultimately controls them, Thomas said. 

“If their recommendations fall out of line with the market survey and price indexes, we don’t allow them,” Thomas said.

Thomas also noted that BSU receives a commission on food sold at campus locations.

The university owns all the equipment and facilities used by Aramark, so commission income is used for upkeep and equipment maintenance.

JENNIFER SAWMILLER
News Writer

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