Page 8 - och0216_BuyersGuide

Around the Campus

Carnegie Mellon Food Service Names Harvard Workers
New Provider for Tepper Quad Reach Agreement

Carnegie Mellon University Dining Services in Pittsburgh, Pa., has selected After Strike
AVI Foodsystems Inc. (AVI) as the foodservice provider for the new David. A.
Tepper Quadrangle (Tepper Quad), which is scheduled to open in summer of 2018. Food service workers at Harvard
University voted in favor of a new
Tepper Quad will be the first of AVI’s 80 university dining programs in the five-year contract on October 26, end-
country to feature “AVI Pure,” an entirely new standard of cuisine focused on a ing a three-week strike, the first at the
modern and holistic approach to food. “This innovative dining concept emphasizes school in 33 years.
sourcing the most natural ingredients and following a preparation process that
ensures minimal impact to the environment,” said John Coker, AVI’s chief creative Workers walked out in protest
officer. “AVI will feature foods in the Tepper Quad marketplace that are free of over low wages and rising health-care
artificial colors, artificial flavors, artificial sweeteners, and the use of antibiotics costs. Harvard has agreed to up their
and growth hormones.” wages from $33,800 to $35,000 a year,
with additional compensation paid in
AVI has served Carnegie Mellon’s dining program since 1996 with a vending and three installments during the summer
beverage program. With the award to operate the Tepper Quad’s 3,200 square-foot months, when most of the workers are
culinary marketplace, AVI will craft and execute a revolutionary culinary program furloughed. The school is also pro-
designed specifically to meet the needs of a highly diverse university community viding retroactive wage increases at
of students, faculty, staff, alumni and campus guests. 2.5 percent a year, on par with other
unionized workers on campus, accord-
The multiple retail venues planned within the Tepper Quad marketplace will ing to UNITE HERE Local 26, which
include AVI’s exclusive concepts, including:
represents 750 Harvard foodservice
employees. The increase is retroactive
• Trattoria, featuring specialty hand-crafted pastas and hand-tossed pizzas. to when the contract expired, in June.
• Carvery, showcasing made-to-order sandwiches with house-roasted meats and
fresh-baked artisan breads. Harvard also slowed proposed
• Sprout, a modern, all-organic fruits and vegetables bar focused on procure- changes to the workers’ health-care
ment of in-season fruits and vegetables from local farms and a custom-developed plan by waiting two years before in-
menu of sprouted grains, beans and seeds. creasing out-of-pocket expenses for
• Met Grill, a contemporary concept that features deliciously grilled favorites, doctor visits. The university said all
including locally sourced bison burgers and a number of healthy sides. along that it would cover 87 percent
of the premiums for workers earning
“Carnegie Mellon University strives to enhance and elevate the health, wellness less than $55,000.
and satisfaction of our campus by offering a best-in-class dining program,” said
CMU Director of Dining Services Pascal Petter. “The Tepper Quad offers Dining “The university has sought a reso-
Services the opportunity to create a marketplace that is social, collaborative and lution that maintains superior com-
healthy in its approach to food, the community and the environment. With AVI at the pensation for our dining workers,
helm of the dining marketplace in this visionary new facility, our dining program acknowledging their role as integral
will achieve culinary innovation in taste, wellness and variety.” members of the Harvard community,”
Katie Lapp, executive vice president
8 | NOVEMBER 2016 at Harvard, said in a note to the school
community. “We also sought an agree-
ment that recognizes the importance of
carefully stewarding university finances
as we pursue our academic mission
in a period of constrained resources.
We are confident that this agreement
achieves both of these goals.”

Many students supported the food-
service workers, with some walking
out of class during the last week of
the strike.

ON-CAMPUS HOSPITALITY