Concession stands at UVM sporting events have the Sodexo logo synonymous with the food provider at the University.
“They’re the only vendor that is allowed to sell food here, under our contract with them,” associate athletic director Joe Fischer said.
Sodexo’s contract with UVM allows the dining company to veto any other vendor that wishes to sell food at UVM sporting events, Fischer said.
“If McDonald’s came in and said ‘we want to sell burgers,’ Sodexo could tell them that they couldn’t,” he said. “It has to be approved by them and is totally separate from the University.”
Sodexo has priority over any other organizations looking to sell food at UVM events, Fischer said.
“Sodexo has the exclusive rights. They go through the hassle of getting all the food and hiring all the people so it only makes sense that they have the exclusive rights,” Fischer said.
Fischer said that “even if a local Girl Scout troop wanted to sell cookies at a men’s hockey game, they would have to go through Sodexo in order to do so.”
“While Sodexo would probably let them because they would not directly interfere with their profits, they still have to go through Sodexo,” Fischer said.
Fischer has been the associate athletic director since 2010 and has nothing but praise for the Sodexo employees.
“The people are fantastic to work with,” Fischer said. “The quality of their food has drastically risen in the past few years. I really think that they’ve improved in all aspects of the food that they sell.”
Sodexo bought UVM’s previous food provider, Marriott Management Services, UVM Dining Services General Manager Melissa Zelazny said.
“The company was originally Saga Food service, then was acquired by Marriott International and became Marriott Management Services,” Zelazny said.
“Then Sodexo bought Marriott Management Services, and it became Sodexo Marriott for a period of 5 years and now we are just Sodexo, inc,” she said.
Zelazny has been with the company for 29 years and for 10 years at UVM.
In terms of Sodexo’s financial commitment to the University, Sodexo pays UVM a flat rate at the beginning of the year, Fischer said.
That initial flat rate is all that the University receives as payment from the food company, he said.
