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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 36, Number 24. 26th September 1973

Food for Thought

Food for Thought

Dear Sirs,

It is time we did something about the appalling service and food in the Union Buildings. All this year we have put up with high prices, and such poor quality food that perhaps we should be thankful for the minute quantities served.

The poor service reflects the contractor's incompetent administration of the catering facilities. When the contract was held by "Fritz" Leven-batch we enjoyed much better services and fare, even though there was much valid criticism of his management.

Too often there is an intolerable wait while some item on the unimaginative menu is procured. Steaks, sometime as palatable as leather, are often no bigger than two or three square inches in area after fat has been cut off, and vegetables are nearly always boiled into a tasteless pulp evidently devoid of much nutritious value.

When it became apparent to the managers that the cafeteria was loosing patronage and profits because of the deteriorating service and food their response was to provide, in the down-stairs cafeteria, only lower-quality — smaller quantity, high priced — higher profit items of doubtful nutrition.

It is evident that the catering con-tractor — Nationwide, and its reputed owner ITT (operated by the CIA) has provided nothing like the services contractually required. They should be liable to forfeit the contract forthwith and might well be held punitively liable for breach of contract.

This is not a criticism of the employed staff who seem to be as efficient as possible given the limitations imposed on them by the management.

Les Slater