FoodOnCampus future provision
05 Sep 2019
Changes for the new academic year
This is an update to the message that was published on 12 July about the proposal to close a number of FoodOnCampus outlets.
Recent years have seen the opening of many new cafés, restaurants and supermarkets on or around our campus. Alongside changing tastes and patterns of demand, this has impacted on the financial sustainability of our FoodOnCampus offer and some facilities are no longer getting the levels of demand to sustain their operation, and are running at a loss.
Alison Shedlock, Head of Hospitality and Events, has consulted with a range of stakeholders, including staff across the University and the Students’ Union, about the proposals.
These have influenced the final decisions, which will result in the number of outlets being reduced to 19. This will make FoodOnCampus financially sustainable, whilst meeting our wish to offer a good spread and choice of accessible facilities for staff and students across campus.
Plans are also being developed to invest in various existing facilities and to redevelop some of those outlets which are to be closed to provide additional social spaces and vending areas, where staff and students can continue to meet, relax and work.
There has also been a formal consultation process with the staff directly affected in the outlets and their trades’ union representative, Unison. As a result, a number of staff have applied for a voluntary severance package and it has not been necessary to consider compulsory redundancy.
Alison Shedlock said: “The consultation process with colleagues was extremely useful and made clear the strength of feeling about our cafés, which is reflected in the final list. We are now confident that all areas of the University will be well served by our outlets for food and drink, as well as their important role in providing social spaces for colleagues and students.
“I would like to thank our FoodOnCampus colleagues for their patience and professionalism during this period.”