Picketing by workers’ unions, issues with food quality and pricing.

These are some of the issues that have plagued Compass Group in its ventures as a facilities and dining partner in universities across the nation. 

Compass Group was chosen as USF’s new facilities and dining partner because it has “deep” experience and a “strong record” of quality service in higher education, said USF spokesperson Althea Johnson.

USF said in a universitywide email that the partnership with Compass will be a cost-saving effort of around $320 million over 15 years.

Related: Compass Group to replace Aramark as USF’s dining, facilities partner

Although the university expects the change from Aramark to Compass to “enhance” campus facilities and “elevate the student experience,” Compass has faced criticism from students and employees at other universities.

The Oracle wrote about student-reported issues during USF’s 22-year partnership with Aramark, such as overly priced pharmacy items, a 6 p.m. alcohol curfew, food source transparency, undercooked chicken, a moth in a salad and a contact lens on a grape.

Before Aramark and Compass, USF’s dining facilities provider was Sodexo, meaning USF has had partnerships with the “big three” college food providers, according to an Oracle article.

From 1974 to 2002, USF students also had complaints about Sodexo, such as lack of communication and meal plan prices.

Johnson did not clarify whether student input influenced the latest partnership change. Instead, she referred to it as a continuous partnership reassessment.

In regards to any concerns about Compass coming to USF, Johnson said the company is a “nationally recognized leader,” and the university expects its “high standard” to continue at USF.

When trying to reach Compass, spokesperson Meredith Rosenberg told The Oracle that USF asked “​​all media requests be directed” to Johnson “as per their website.”

Food quality

In 2013, BBC reported that Compass was involved in a scandal in Ireland where horse DNA was found in burgers provided to 38 offices and two colleges. Compass did not name the schools affected but withdrew the products.

At the time, supermarkets and fast-food restaurants in the U.K., including Burger King, experienced the same problem, according to a Reuters article.

Chartwells Higher Education, the sector of Compass chosen to provide dining services to USF, was founded in 1997 and serves around 300 college campuses in the U.S., according to Chartwells’ website.

Last year, the Student Senate from the York College of Pennsylvania discussed recurring issues, such as food poisoning due to undercooked food and meal plan pricing, at a town hall with Chartwells executives, according to The Spartan. 

However, the students were met with the same answer for every concern — to discuss with dining staff immediately when a problem was found, according to The Spartan.

Although Rosenberg, the Compass spokesperson, said meal plan prices would not change at USF after the transition, the proposal sent to the university states the plan will only last for a year. After that, Chartwells will request annual price increases of around 3%. 

Related: OPINION: Ditch the dining hall and start meal prepping.

Working conditions

At USF, the new partnership with Compass has already caused some controversy — around 400 people will not be state employees anymore since the agreement will privatize their jobs. 

Still, Compass’s proposal to USF “assumed” 355 employees would stay after the transition. 

Chartwells’ contract with Northwestern University (NU) ended in August, and NU’s dining workers’ union is asking for an “improved contract” with higher salaries and benefits. The latest reported picket happened in November, according to The Daily Northwestern. 

Dining employees at the University of Florida, which has Chartwells as its food supplier, suffered unforeseen mass layoffs in May in preparation for summer. The layoffs affected 63 workers and left those who expected a summer job “shocked,” according to The Independent Florida Alligator.

In January, the state decertified the union that represented USF facility workers, removing their representation and the benefits provided by their previous union contract, according to Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.

What’s next at USF?

Johnson said, like any service provider, USF will continuously assess its partnership with Compass to ensure it is in the “best interests” of the university.

With Compass starting to set foot on campus this month, Rosenberg said the provider will “actively listen” to feedback from the USF community through email, text, surveys and dining committee meetings.

Rosenberg said student input will be crucial to shaping and improving the dining experience at USF.

“Student and guest insights support in crafting a dining experience that is both innovative and responsive to university needs,” she said.