By Doreen Bernardini
Located on the second floor of the College Center, the RVCC Cafeteria has a broad menu and real restaurant appeal. The cafeteria is operated by CulinArt.
According to Manager Kevin Swart, the company is dedicated to providing fresh and healthy food to RVCC students and faculty. “Everything is homemade,” says Swart, “and we use trans-fat-free oils.”
Every day dozens of students, faculty, and staff line up, with trays in hand, for entrees like Chicken Cacciatore from Chef’s Choice menu or a Glazed Virginia Ham dinner from the Cutting Edge Carvery. Those who favor less than a complete meal can choose Souper soups, a slice of pizza from the pizza grill, a sandwich from the Panini Grill, or a New York Deli Hero. The Cafeteria also offers whole grain pasta in the salad bar.
Fun monthly promotions add excitement to the menu. The October menu took taste buds to Germany with Oktoberfest. November will include a Thanksgiving Holiday Luncheon with all the trimmings.
Swart and his team keep the RVCC community up to date on the Cafeteria offerings by posting the weekly menu on the Lion’s Den. They’ve also expanded the breakfast menu to include a fresh fruit salad bar, making the Cafeteria a convenient alternative to the typical stop-on-the-fly for a bagel or donut and coffee.
RVCC owns the cafeteria equipment and receives a commission on food sales, catering sales, and vending machines sales (excluding Pepsi machines). Together, the yearly revenue for the college is about $35,000, said John Trojan, vice president of finance and facilities.
CulinArt won the contract two years ago when an RVCC committee accepted the company’s proposal based on sample menus, pricing and commission structure. The formula has been a success for the vendor, for RVCC officials and for students, faculty and staff, too. “CulinArt’s volume is 50% higher than prior vendors,” said Trojan. “Good service and good menus build and retain patronage.”
CulinArt also operates the popular Starbucks café near the Welcome Center in Somerset Hall. “We operate as a team,” said Swart. “Employees are cross-trained in order to provide excellent customer service. We have an all-for-one, one-for-all attitude.”
The Cafeteria and Starbucks will remain open during exam week and through school vacations. The Cafeteria is open weekdays, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Starbucks café is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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