Sodexo and Saint Louis University Partner to Enhance Culinary Experience on Campus

GAITHERSBURG, Md., August 15, 2018 /3BL Media/ - Sodexo, a food and facilities management company committed to improving Quality of Life, has been selected to provide residential dining, retail and catering to the 18,000 students, faculty and staff of Saint Louis University (SLU) through 2028. In addition to immediately expanding the variety of fare and elevating customer service, Sodexo will offer its award-winning Simple Servings concept when its contract commences in August. Over the course of the next year, Sodexo will work closely with University leadership and the Student Dining Advisory Board to understand the unique culinary needs of the SLU community to deliver a custom and appealing culinary experience on campus.

“Saint Louis University and Sodexo have many shared values including engaging students and giving back to the communities we serve. It is an honor to once again partner with such a prestigious and forward-looking institution,” Barry Telford, CEO, Universities West, Sodexo North America. “We are excited to create a memorable dining experience that will align with SLU’s overall strategic vision of encouraging the health and wellbeing, engagement and satisfaction of every customer.”   

A unique aspect of Sodexo’s dining program is its ability to accommodate customers with food allergies, gluten intolerance or other special dietary needs. The Simple Servings Station offers a variety of safe, healthy and delicious options that are free from common allergens including peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, wheat, soy, milk products and eggs. All options are also free from gluten-containing ingredients. Simple Servings staff members are carefully trained to avoid allergen and gluten cross-contact and encouraged to get to know students with dietary restrictions, and work to ensure they are not only safe but socially included in the dining experience.

“The transition with Sodexo has taken place over a sixty-day period this summer. Thanks to the efforts of many people working together as a team, the process has been remarkably smooth,” said Kent Porterfield, Ed.D., Vice President for Student Development at SLU.  “We are excited about the opportunities to improve our dining program at SLU, and we are anticipating a great partnership with Sodexo.”

On every campus that Sodexo has a presence, it is committed to helping those in need, reducing waste and conserving energy. Sodexo will continue to work with and support SLU’s Campus Kitchen food recovery initiative. On more than 60 university and high school campuses across the country, student volunteers with The Campus Kitchens Project transform unused food from dining halls, grocery stores, restaurants and farmers markets into meals for people experiencing hunger. Saint Louis University was the first university to host a Campus Kitchen back in 2001, at which time Sodexo was the food service provider.

At the Saint Louis campus, Sodexo plans to retain all hourly employees working in campus dining and catering positions, and will interview supervisory and managerial staff for consideration for continued employment.

Sodexo Universities provides food and facilities management services at more than 625 colleges and universities, where it employs approximately 48,000 people across North America.  Sodexo Universities focuses on optimizing each clients’ physical, social and academic environment to help create the best possible student experience.

About Sodexo North America
Sodexo North America is part of a global, Fortune 500 company with a presence in 80 countries. Sodexo is a leading provider of integrated food, facilities management and other services that enhance organizational performance, contribute to local communities and improve quality of life for millions of customers in corporate, education, healthcare, senior living, sports and leisure, government and other environments daily. The company employs 150,000 people at 13,000 sites in all 50 U.S. states and Canada and indirectly supports tens of thousands of additional jobs through its annual purchases of $9.2 billion in goods and services from small to large American businesses. Sodexo is committed to supporting diversity and inclusion and safety, while upholding the highest standards of corporate responsibility and ethical business conduct. In support of local communities across the U.S., the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation has contributed close to $32 million over the past 20 years to help feed children in America impacted by hunger. To learn more about Sodexo, visit SodexoUSA.com, SodexoInsights.com and connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube. 

About Saint Louis University
Founded in 1818, Saint Louis University is one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious Catholic institutions. Rooted in Jesuit values and its pioneering history as the first university west of the Mississippi River, SLU offers nearly 13,000 students a rigorous, transformative education of the whole person. At the core of the University’s diverse community of scholars is SLU’s service-focused mission, which challenges and prepares students to make the world a better, more just place.

SLU Campus Kitchen
SLU Campus Kitchen, the first of its kind in the country, serves more than 2,000 meals each month to low-income families, seniors and people with disabilities who live near campus. Founded at SLU in 2001, there are now more than 60 Campus Kitchens at colleges and universities around the country.

SLUstainability
SLUstainablity complements the mission of Saint Louis University by promoting a campus community that engages in decision making based on the dimensions of social justice, environmental stewardship and economic accountability. SLUstainability supports, values and practices these dimensions to ensure that current and future generations have the opportunity to thrive.