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Sodexo feeds students amid snowstorm chaos BY CRAIG CRAWFORD Staff Writer January and February are some of the coldest months in the year, and in 2021, polar air masses battered the contiguous United States in a way that shook power grids, families, schools and other institutions. Arkansas saw some of its coldest temperatures to date, dipping below zero degrees Fahrenheit. Heavy snowfall throughout the week tied the state record for 14 inches, but as temperatures dropped and snow height increased, the team at Ouachita’s Commons made strides to maintain a safe environment for students to eat. The Commons stayed open on a limited schedule during the week, but the cafeteria was open every day to serve food for students. The Commons is now returning to its usual schedule. During the week, employees at Sodexo found themselves working in a variety of places within the Commons. The hazardous weather conditions limited the ability of some Sodexo staff members to come in to work. “We had to review and reorganize our small group of culinary, food service workers and management team to support the Commons. You may have seen a few of your Chick-fil-A team members and managers working in the Commons,” Kari Ledford, Sodexo Retail and Marketing Manager, said. When it became evident that the storm would disrupt the ebb and flow of a normal day in the cafeteria, Sodexo worked vigilantly to maintain normalcy for students. A normal day for Sodexo workers means opening in several retail locations– Dr. Jack’s, Chick-fil-A, Sandella’s and Tiger Grill– in addition to operating the Commons.
“We created a plan based on minimal staffing and food delivery trucks not servicing our area. We had to increase our food inventory to allow us to provide meals all week without restocking,” Ledford said. “Quarantine meals needed to be delivered to students daily to the dorms and hotels in Caddo Valley. Not knowing road conditions or weather changes was difficult. Our team was able to plan ahead with deliveries by monitoring and adjusting to conditions to safely deliver meals for all meal sessions.” Eventually, the team organized a schedule only for members who could afford to come in to work. Because of the uncertainty and fear of weather conditions, several Sodexo members took on roles they normally do not operate in. Ledford spoke very highly of the contribution of Sodexo General Manager John Fitzgerald. “Jon Fitzgerald was up before sunrise each morning to pick up our staff and bring them to campus,” Ledford said. “Once on campus, he was in the kitchen working with our chef and culinary team to make sure they had all they needed for menus and service, tasting and reviewing quality of food and packing meals for quarantined students and delivering for all meal sessions. Once dinner service was over, he’d begin driving staff back home and prepare to start again the next morning. As our leader, he exemplified Sodexo’s values and mission of improving the quality of life for our employees and people we serve and demonstrating the service spirit that inspires others.” An unexpected consequence of the staff shortage, causing retail locations to close, meant that students were limited to eating in the Commons. This caused an increase in the number of students visiting the cafeteria. The Sodexo team also stepped up to take on this
It was a challenge to keep The Commons open during the snowstorm. The Sodexo staff braved the extreme weather to feed students. (top left and bottom right photos by Abby Blankenship; top right and bottom left photos by Sarah Dean)
challenge. “Knowing how much students enjoy dining at our food court in Evans Student Center, expanding staff roles and training to provide staffing to open, or partially open, retail, it’s never in our plan to close [the retail locations], and we exhaust every option before we make the decision,” Ledford said. “Supervisor teams stepped in to manage, and roles were expanded. Due to COVID-19 guidelines, the dining area had to have additional supervision to ensure capacity limits, service requirements and
sanitation guidelines were closely monitored.” During the week, the Sodexo team pulled through to deliver quality food service for a large number of students, many of whom have expressed their gratitude in-person. “Our Tigers are amazing, and during this most challenging week, they all made sure we knew how much our support meant to the campus. We received many compliments and much gratitude from the students during meal sessions. That means a lot to our staff. Some even brought tears to our eyes with
their kind words.” Despite the snowstorm raging on across the state and covering the campus, Sodexo even managed to host a Mardi Gras-themed lunch and dinner, complete with po’boys, etouffee and gumbo. “I’m so proud of our team for always looking out for the safety of our Tigers and providing a comfortable atmosphere,”Ledford said. “Every meal session, our students were gracious with our staff; above and beyond with kindness and expressing their appreciation for being there for them.”
