Butler’s dining provider Aramark has been replaced by Bon Appetit for next year. Photo by Regan Koster.
ELLIE ALLEN | STAFF REPORTER | emallen2@butler.edu
Bon Appetit will be taking over Butler’s dining services on May 13, which means changes for current Aramark Corporation employees on campus. Aramark employees will have an opportunity to apply for positions with Bon Appetit after passing a background screening.
Jason Rose, a Bon Appetit management company district director, said in an email there will be an all-staff presentation over spring break where employees can learn more about the company, its vision, what the management structure looks like and what staff can expect in the future.
“Change can be intimidating, but it does not have to be scary,” Rose said in the email. “As we build relationships and learn everyone’s individual responsibilities, we will look for opportunities to move employees to areas in which they can be of the best service to the Butler community.”
Lynn Fisher, an Aramark employee who has worked at C-Club since August, said she plans to stay and interview with Bon Appetit, but Aramark has offered her another position. She said she hopes Bon Appetit will improve student dining.
“I’m looking forward to finding out what the new company has,” Fisher said. “It should be something that is good for Butler and good for the students.”
Fisher said she thinks Bon Appetit will be a welcoming change for students.
“I am sorry to see Aramark go, but we have to provide what the students want,” Fisher said. “If someone else can do that, that’s what we need to do. Students want more options like vegan, vegetarian and gluten free, and Aramark just could not do everything.”
Employees found out about the possible change when bids for a new dining partner took place last fall. When Bon Appetit was chosen as the new provider, employees met with dining services management to hear the news before it was announced to students.
Kelly, a C-Club supervisor who has worked at Butler University for six years, said she hopes Bon Appetit is good for the students.
“I’ve been here a long time, and I love the students,” Kelly said. “They deserve nothing but the best.”
Kelly said she has mixed feelings about the change.
“It’s bittersweet, but change is good, even for us,” Kelly said. “If the company fulfills its promises, I think it will be good.”
Bon Appetit will also be offering training in their cooking, sustainability and wellness techniques for employees who choose to stay at Butler.
Shelly Wood, a table attendant in Atherton, has worked at Butler for five months.
“I think it would be okay, as long as I keep my job,” Wood said. “I think my work life would be improved, and I hope to make more money.”
Current Aramark employees still have to apply for a position with Bon Appetit, but they will have an opportunity to be interviewed as long as they pass a background check.
