DEAKIN University will spice up its cafeterias, with the Warrnambool campus extending invitations for a local business to take over feeding the students.
With the expiry of the current contract — which has seen the same caterer running the cafeterias of all Deakin campuses for the past 12 years — the university is taking the opportunity to shake up its menus. Deakin’s hospitality manager Gregg Currie said students had been surveyed and involved in focus groups, and given the uni a clearer idea of what they wanted from their “caf”.
“We put a survey into each food outlet on each campus, and asked many questions about what students want, how do they want it, and when they want it,” Mr Currie said.
“The feedback we’ve got has said they want fresh, local produce, with a lot of choice.
“They’ve also said they want a cafe, not a caf. They want it to suit their geographic and demographic make-up.
“So in the past we haven’t been looking after our Asian or Indian students, or our country farming students.
“We hadn’t really worked out what they want, and now they’ve told us what they want.”
Mr Currie said tenders for new operators opened on Friday.
“Warrnambool is different to Burwood and at the moment they’re offering the same food.
“What we’re looking for in Warrnambool is we’re trying to seek operators who work in Warrnambool, maybe someone who has an existing cafe or business in Warrnambool.
“We don’t want to bring in someone from Queen Street in Melbourne, where the menu is written in Melbourne.”
The new contracts begin at the start of next year and are expected to run for three years.