The Highlander

To the stuly swipe their meal-plan card, the reality of the prices at the Ranger Grille may go unnoticed. But, in actuality, students are paying double, or sometimes triple what they would buying the same product off-campus.

The pricing at the Ranger Grille is done by comparing Grille prices to those of competitors through a program called "Right Pricing." This looks at the history of prices at the grill and the cost of similar items at places like McDonalds and Perkins. The Grille tries to keep their prices in between those of the competition.

But many students agree that the prices are far from average. "I try to eat at the grill as little as possible," commented junior John Scheid. "It's over-priced for the quality of food you get."

So what makes a pack of M&M's $1.30 at the grille and less than $0.90 everywhere else, including the campus bookstore right next door? Diana Wink, general manager of Sodexho explained the higher prices are largely due to Regis' inability to buy in bulk. "We're a pretty small business compared to other businesses out there," she said.

Sodexho lacks the storage capability to store items bought at wholesale. This means that when Sodexho brings in a product, they can only buy what it can fit on its shelves. The Grille has also has a limited amount of customers. Consequently, larger stores that can buy in greater bulk and have more customers will be able to post lower prices.

Also, high prices are the results of recent remodeling in the Grille and Dining Hall, rebates to the University, and benefits to the employees. The costs of the remodeling get passed on to students in the form of higher prices.

Wink also noted that broad benefits packages available to employees raise the cost of labor, and, in turn, prices. Full-time Sodexho employees receive medical, dental, vision, sick time, vacation time, free uniforms and several others. All these components factor into the pricing structure.

But these are not explanations that are readily available to the students as they purchase items day to day. What students do note is that they are paying $3.49 for a bag of Doritos and $2.80 for a SoBe. So why do they continue shopping at the Grille when the same items are cheaper across the street? Part of it is convenience. The Grille is right on campus and the students already have money on their meal cards.

Meal plans can provide a sense of security that the student has money specifically for food which cannot be spent on anything else. Scheid referenced this reasoning when he said, "Parents are more willing to put money on a meal card than give their kids a lot of money and say it's for food."

Senior Amanda Arrieta added, "Students use the Grille because it's quick to get food before and after classes, especially for students without cars."

Prices are based on a scale, so the more people there are on meal plans the lower the prices will be. The problem, however, is getting more people on the meal plan. Numerous students will not buy one because of the higher prices. Arrieta said, "In addition to tuition, it got too expensive to pay for food and I opted not to get one [a meal plan]."

Sodexho is currently contracted by Regis University until 2018 to provide their food service. Prices are negotiated every year based on the number of students on meal plans and the kind of plans available. There are currently 618 students and staff with one of the three meal plan options.

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