New Food Service introduced in UWindsor

The University of Windsor students are adjusting to the new food services on campus but looking for expanded programming. 

Sodexo, a third party, has taken over for UWindsor’s Food Services, this semester. 

“Sodexo is now in charge of all the food operations on campus with an ultimate goal to extend hours of operation and have inclusivity in terms of food provided,” says Chef Paola Vasapolli. 

Dinner is served from 4:30 pm- 7:00 pm in the University Club in Vanier hall for all three residential buildings. Students voiced concern over the timing, and hope Sodexo will implement expanded hours and more healthy options.  

The Food Services website shows updated times for some facilities; however, not all of the new times have been implemented. 

“Staffing has been a challenge since covid that has resulted in the delay in the implementation. But, the ultimate goal is the long hours of operations. Sodexo has set up a human resource department within the campus that is in charge of hiring and is aggressively working on getting staff to meet the challenge and also start new initiatives,” said chef Paola Vasapolli.  

There has been mention of self-checkout systems that would allow for flexibility in services and hours of operation. 

“Somewhere in 2024, we might see self-checkout options for food and grocery services in the university that will allow students to access these services 24/7,” mentioned Alanna Olteanu, the current President of UWSA at the university.

Indigenous Cafe in UWindsor

“Our mission is to improve quality of life and our responsibility is to preserve it,” states Sodexo on their website. They work with indigenous suppliers and communities. UWindsor now has its very first Indigenous Cafe, Origins Cafe, located in the Toldo Health Education Building.  

“Sodexo has partnered up with an indigenous chef who provides dishes for the Origins Cafe. There are two indigenous soups served at the cafe along with Bannock sandwiches, an indigenous sandwich. It also serves indigenous coffee from Spirit Bear,” said Madhav, the marketing coordinator for Sodexo. 

Madhav oversees hosting, managing, and executing events on campus, and dealing with student complaints. Sodexo runs nationwide food initiatives which shall also be implemented on campus by Madhav. 

“The Origins Cafe is opened with an aim to educate students about the indigenous culture as I myself was not aware of the indigenous food. I love the indigenous coffee and hopefully, the students would love it too,” added Madhav. 

Upcoming Initiatives by Sodexo

Global Adventures is replacing Pasta Bar. It is a new concept that is aiming to provide food from different nations of the world. There are several other options in the Marketplace, including; Pizza Pizza, Subway, Booster Juice, Tim Hortons, and Chef to You.  

Tanisha, a UWindsor student, who lives in residence say they do not see food from their country’s cuisine. 

“I wish there were Indian food options available once in a while too,” said Tanisha. 

“The menu is made for a 5-week period and then repeated after those 5 weeks. We are working on getting dishes from around the world as we cater to students coming from different counties,” said Vasapolli. 

Sodexo is looking to add more events as well. “We would soon be having events on Valentine’s Day and Speaking plates events. More information shall be disclosed once our social media is set up and running. Right now, our focus is to understand the student need and cater to those,” said Madhav. 

Sodexo promotes global concepts and caters to different nations and cultures. 

“Sodexo is global and it will soon include more international food options to make students feel at home,” said Chef Shai Bishop.