By Hannah Shirey ‘22, editor
LVC signed a new five-year contract with Metz Culinary Management this semester.
When LVC’s original contract with Metz ended in 2021, Dr. Bob Mikus, vice president of student affairs and dean of students, started a committee devoted to planning a new dining program at LVC.
The committee met with many other culinary management services to find the greatest fit for LVC and its students. After close examination of Metz’s formal proposal, it was ultimately decided that Metz understood the committee’s vision best.
“Metz is a known entity, and when they put forth how they would address what was outlined in our vision statement, and we felt that they would deliver,” Mikus said.
For 2022, Metz Culinary Management was named #11 to Food Management’s Top 50 Management Companies list. The management company offers a wide range of services to its consumers including sustainability initiatives, pop-up events, catering services and student employment/internship opportunities.
To accompany LVC’s new contract with Metz, LVC’s dining services are now operating as they did pre-pandemic. Pre-pandemic dining services involve three meal swipes a day and certain meal swipes at certain times.
“Open meal exchange at every time of the day is simply not sustainable,” Mikus said.
Following pre-pandemic dining services is meant to maximize when students are using their meal swipes and to ensure meal swipes are being used when they are intended to be used.
“Many students should be using meal swipes three times a day anyway,” Tim Hartlieb, general manager of Metz dining, said. “Most people eat three meals a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner.”
Part of LVC’s contract with Metz Culinary Management also highlights healthy eating programs that will be implemented into LVC’s dining services, as well as its inclusion of international meals in the dining hall.
Students with questions, concerns and opinions regarding Metz and the dining services offered at LVC are asked to utilize the text to talk option. Details about the text-to-talk resource can be found throughout the dining hall.
“Students can use the text-to-talk option for just about anything, even if it is just to notify us that the granola is empty,” Hartlieb said.
Students are also welcome to contact Tim Hartlieb directly via his email thartlieb@metzcorp.com. A list of other Metz employees and their contacts can be found outside the Lehr and Phillips Dining Hall.
The newly founded food service committee consisting of students, staff and faculty will meet regularly to discuss thoughts and opinions surrounding LVC’s dining services.
“Every last little detail is spelled out in this contract with Metz,” Mikus said. “Compared to past years, the communication piece is going to expand tenfold.”
The contract will be reevaluated in 2024.