A seasoned analysis of CLC food prices, services

A’viands, a national provider of food service management, made an appearance on the Grayslake campus in 2017, marking CLC’s decision to begin outsourcing its own food services.

    This has spiked the popularity of Café Willow—the central hub that offers diverse, internationally-inspired cuisine, and a large, open, and well-lit eating area.

    Naturally, with the increasing traffic in Café Willow, students have asked questions regarding the food. 

One of the pressing questions at hand: Why is the food so expensive?

    The answer is simple: It’s not.

    Wendy’s 4 for $4 (a sandwich of choice, four nuggets, a side of fries, and a small drink) may seem like a more reasonable choice than a Smash Cheeseburger for $4.10 in Café Willow, but there’s more to the prices than meets the eye.

    Alexa Waheed, a second-year student studying Political Science here at CLC, doesn’t eat at the cafeteria often. 

“I probably eat here about twice a month depending on my schedule and what they’re serving,” she said, but this doesn’t mean Alexa is uninformed about Café Willow.

    She admits that while $3.00 for a grilled cheese may not seem reasonable up front, you’re not just paying for the bread and cheese. “I sit on the Food Service Advisory Committee for the Student Government—the prices are the way that they are because they have to get everything shipped in, and there’s also the cost of the materials like the produce.”

    This also includes labor costs for the many employees of Café Willow, a portion of which are students themselves.

    Anyone can run up the street and grab a Wendy’s 4 for $4 for lunch instead of swinging by Café Willow, but it’s necessary to note that Wendy’s is a corporate superpower: they can afford to mass-produce food and offer low prices, while also having thousands of minimum-wage employees at their disposal.

Each purchase made at CLC contributes to a much smaller economic ecosystem.

    This past year introduced the new Dining Dollars program which allows students to apply their leftover financial aid towards food purchases and receive a 5% discount in return for utilizing the program.

Alongside Café Willow, CLC also began to outsource other areas of its food services in 2017. 

    This includes the Café Willow Coffee Shop which serves Seattle’s Best Coffee™ (part of the Starbuck’s empire), the Atrium Coffee Shop which serves Signature Starbucks drinks, such as the popular frappé or iced coffee with seasonal flavors, and even the vending machines which are now serviced by an outside company.

    A quick look above these vending machines informs students that every purchase made contributes to the Giving Back Textbook Scholarship, which awards students up to $500 each semester for textbooks and course materials.

    When a purchase is made on campus, the profits are used to benefit other areas.

    In fact, an overwhelming portion of the profits made from Auxiliary Services (Athletics, Food Service, Bookstore, etc.) is funneled back into the Education Fund, which is primarily used to pay for employee salaries and benefits.

    This allows CLC to hire and retain exemplary professors and supporting staff, which directly benefits the student body.

    There are some concerns, though, in regards to the availability of food services on other campuses.

    While Grayslake is the highest-traffic campus out of the three, it’s the only campus with such an extensive food selection.

    The school’s website states that “The CLC Bookstore at all three campuses offers a variety of cold drinks, snacks and meal items,” and “Each campus has food, snack, coffee and drink vending machines.”

    The lack of a cafeteria of any size on campus leaves Southlake and Lakeshore students in search of something with more sustenance than a bag of chips or a grab-and-go sandwich, causing them to travel off-campus or bring their own meals from home.

    Implementing more food options on the secondary campuses would not only benefit CLC, but also the student body as a whole.

    Nonetheless, food services provided by CLC only continue to improve in quality and concept.

    Café Willow received a 3-Star Green Restaurant Certification recently, recognizing the college’s commitment to sustainability; this includes the availability of eco-friendly reusable containers, separation of trash, recycling, and compost, and energy use in the facilities themselves.

    The café is open during the week from 7:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Breakfast is served until 10:30 a.m. when they switch to lunch. Past 2:30 p.m., students can stop by the Café Willow Coffee Shop until 8:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday for a quick boost of energy and their choice of snack including pastries, yogurt, fruit, pre-made sandwiches, and more.

    More info regarding College of Lake County’s food services can be found on the website, clcillinois.edu.