by Eric Gutman

I must admit that I am totally baffled by the thought processes of the food service management. During the weeks of the baseball playoffs, we were treated to baseball tablecloths, simultaneous Yankees and Mets menus, and even baseball-looking cookies to complement one night's "World Series Dinner." The management seemed to be attempting to gain the affinity of the students, while remaining the most monopolistic, miserly establishment eyes ever laid upon.

Last year while serving on the YCSC Food Services Committee (which represents the student body in dealings with the food service), I began to see just how much Food Services takes full advantage of its forced monopoly. Though we met with its management only once, the sole meeting confirmed all of the infamous rumors that surround the ‘establishment.' Jake Lieberman, Associate Director, arrived half an hour late. (I wonder just how timely he would have been if dining club membership was optional.) In any event, not much time remained in the short club hour for the meeting to develop. A few minor topics and requests were discussed, and all but one was rejected (the only consent made was for the exchange of two "side dishes" for a soup). As expected, the perennial price issue made its way to the forefront of our agenda. Lieberman promptly told us that prices were not up for discussion, and that the future only promised price hikes to make-up for the "thousands of dollars lost every year."

When pressed for details, we were led in circles. No offense, Mr. Lieberman, but the mere thought of Food Services losing money is laughable. Near the conclusion of the meeting, as representatives of the student body, we requested to look at their financial "books," and were promptly assured that in a matter of weeks we could have a look. To this day, that has not happened. It makes me wonder how soon our request would have been granted if Food Services had any competition whatsoever.

Our meeting was not entirely fruitless. Management did tell us that on average, the amount paid to create a particular dish is approximately 1/3 the student price. Of course, they were quick to qualify that statement with a barrage of exceptions to the otherwise surprising generalization. I suspect an even greater disparity between wholesale and "retail" prices. It is commonly forgotten, or more accurately cast aside, that Food Services serves all of Yeshiva University, including both undergraduate campuses, Cardozo, Ferkauf, and Einstein, as well as those attending Revel and RIETS on the main campus. The word "bulk" does not begin to describe the mass quantities in which they buy ingredients. To believe that they pay $2.30 ((1/3 of $6.85) for a small dish of industrially-made beef jumbolia (whatever that is, I still don't know) is ludicrous. It is also highly doubtful that they pay $.25 for every fresh fruit they buy in massive bulk. I invite anyone on the management to show me even one instance where they paid more than one-third what we pay.

Though all too often cast aside, the mandatory nature of the University's "dining club" is an important factor in assessing the real issue at hand. As a result of the "caf card requirement," Food Services can safely assure that they will collect $750 per dorming student per semester, no two ways about it. If so, the real issue is not how much money they receive in a given semester, but rather, how much food they will give out. It is with this that Food Services management breaks all records of haggling. With high prices, Food Services hopes to deplete our food cards as quickly and efficiently as possible. And of course, this goal goes way beyond prices. It manifests its ugly head in portion sizes. Again looking at the factor of bulk, serving at least 2100 students with a potential for 2500 more (if you include the University schools where food cards are optional) for one week, it is likely that Food Services orders in the range of 5000 pounds of chicken in one shot. That is a lot of chicken. It highly doubtful that each chicken quarter costs as much as 50 cents. Yet servers are under strict orders to give only one quarter per customer. In fact, one employee of Food Services was fired last year for giving portions that his management deemed too large. Imagine what he now thinks of his former managers—miserly, soulless, "religious" Jews: The ultimate chillul Hashem.

These money saving moves merely make operating costs slightly lower than they should be. It is for this slight margin of extra profit that we, the student body, have such unpleasant experiences in our own cafeterias. The only semi-substantial extra profit that Food Services can attribute to their pettiness results from the students who are forced to turn to their parents to put more money on their food cards. This however, does not justify the management's cause for having students spend $900 to $1000 per semester on food. In fact, this is nothing short of highway robbery.

One last point. It is imperative that Food Services decide whether it is a business or a service (as its name implies). If a business, which, by definition, is primarily motivated by the drive for profit, it must stop serving up its usual "muck," as described by one of its own servers, and raise itself to business standards. Restaurant-quality dishes, as well as decorative servings, would be in order. Side dishes would have to consist of more than just a few spoonfuls of steamed vegetables, or the nastiest looking wild rice you've ever seen. Nice salt and pepper shakers would be expected on the tables, and of course, the Styrofoam containers would have to be replaced by decent plates. Practically all the self-service facets of the cafeteria would become full-service.

Obviously, this just isn't going to happen. Even if management opted to move in such a direction, this type of turn-around would take years, especially under the auspices of the present management. The only way to rectify the situation is for Food Services to declare itself a service (as opposed to a restaurant) and charge the corresponding prices. Morally, as an enterprise, it cannot provide as a service yet charge as a restaurant, as it has been doing for years. It must decide one way or the other.

Mr. Lieberman, don't try to win my affinity with Yankees menus or World Series dinners. Take back your baseball cookies and tablecloths. Give me lower prices.