Student theft stifles Sodexo’s services

Pepperdine’s Dining Services faces the scrutiny of the student population, as disgruntled students call for higher quality and cheaper meal options. Student disapproval of Pepperdine’s Caf is exemplified most visibly in the emergence of a Pepperdine Facebook group titled “WTF Caf?” with 911 members airing their grievances online as of Wednesday evening.

Others have registered their disapproval another way: theft. Sodexo reported that about 12 percent of last year’s Odwalla juice products disappeared without being paid for. While students pilfering items without swiping their meal cards does not entirely account for what many consider long lines, high prices and limited customer service, Pepperdine’s Dining Services maintains that this does play a role in some of these conditions.

“This problem definitely affects the overall atmosphere [in the Waves Café],” said Martin Finfrock, area general manager for Sodexo.

“Instead of being as hospitable as we’d like to be, we have to police the place. We’d prefer to focus our energy on producing better food and spend time training and thinking of new ways to create a better quality experience for everybody.”

Finfrock said Caf theft was a large problem last year, and Dining Services is taking steps to deter the problem this year. He admits that the exact loss due to Caf theft is difficult to measure and is not assessed by Sodexo on a regular basis.

“That would take a lot of someone’s time to do that on a daily basis,” Finfrock said. “We know this is going on, because we have seen people doing it. To measure it would be very difficult.” 

While students might not be regularly carrying full trays of food past the cash registers, cafeteria employees are well aware of the many tricks of the trade. Whether it is hiding a chicken burger beneath your to-go garden salad, eating food from one station while waiting in line at another, or slipping a bottle of water into your purse, it is all theft and, according to Finfrock, it can all detrimental to the cafeteria’s atmosphere.

Finfrock said that cashier mistakes could be partially to blame for perceived losses, as a cashier might charge a customer for the wrong item.

“We have worked with our cashiers, especially new cashiers as they get a little flustered and sometimes hit the wrong button,” Finfrock said. “We try to work with them and get them more familiar with the board.  I think as we get farther into the year, the mistakes are not as frequent.” 

Sodexo’s pricing is negotiated with Pepperdine each year. 

“Our pricing is based on very clear directives from Pepperdine as to how much they expect the prices to go up,” Finfrock said.

The percent of increase in food prices from last year to this year was less than 2 percent, according to Finfrock.  The prospect of a food item being stolen is not a factor when Pepperdine and Sodexo determine Caf prices.  In other words, theft does not directly affect the price students must pay Sodexo for food in the Caf.

Theft does factor into Sodexo’s food costs, however. When Sodexo loses revenue on certain items that are frequently stolen, these items have to be pulled from the shelves.

The popular Odwalla juices were pulled due to an 8,000-unit discrepancy between the number of Odwalla products delivered to campus and the number sold last year.

Among the items taken by students at the expense of Dining Services are many plates, bowls, glasses and silverware.  While the Caf exercises a more relaxed policy regarding walking off with such items, returning them will help lower costs. Finfrock estimates that Dining Services had an inventory of 1,800 plates in the Waves Café in April 2009. This number dropped to 1,200 by the end of the summer.  According to an Oct. 1 count, the number of plates had dropped to just above 600.

Stealing has an effect on the quality of service in the Caf. It affects labor, the types of food produced and the general tone of Sodexo-student relations. Finfrock stresses that dealing with theft is an unsavory but necessary part of his job.   

“I got into the hospitality business to be hospitable and to be able to take care of people and serve people.  The vast majority of my people got into the hospitality business for this same reason,” he said. “We only have so many hours in a day to get our job done.  When part of that time is being taken up by having to watch and make sure people aren’t stealing, it definitely becomes an issue.”

Some students suggest that students steal as a result of high prices or their own impatience.

“I feel like it can’t be that big of a problem, because people can only really steal small items,” said Mattie Gullatt, a junior. “I don’t think it is a money thing as much as it is a time thing.  People don’t want to wait in line.”

Others are surprised to hear theft is a problem at Pepperdine’s cafeteria. 

“With so many students complaining about the quality of Caf food, I can’t imagine many people wanting to steal it,” said junior Spenser Snow.

Finfrock says theft is difficult to deal with because, “some people do it just to do it.”  He said he has dealt with students who have been caught stealing despite having an abundance of cafeteria points on their student cards.

Stacy Rothberg, Associate Dean of Students, posits that students steal because they do not see the Waves Café for what it is— a place of business.

“Our students know it is wrong to steal at Ralphs or to walk out of a restaurant without paying,” Rothberg wrote in an e-mail. “However, some students rationalize the theft from Sodexo by claiming they bought meal points that will not all be used by the end of the semester.”

Sodexo prefers to focus on other aspects of students’ dining experience, but stealing is considered a serious matter, especially by the university. When a theft is reported, the documentation is forwarded to Judicial Affairs. If a student is found responsible for theft, he or she could face disciplinary probation and possible suspension. 

“I don’t think some people understand the consequences of stealing,” Finfrock said. “I have had some students come into my office and say, ‘I’m on probation and I can’t take an international trip.’ [The university] asks us to police it as part of what we do.  They ask that if someone is caught stealing, we report it to them, and they take it from there.”

Rothberg said Pepperdine’s expectations are clear, and Judicial Affairs will charge students who take items without paying with theft.

“Pepperdine wants our community to demonstrate personal integrity,” wrote Rothberg. “Theft is illegal and hinders our goal of having a community of openness and trust.”

The Sodexo team is doing what it can to deter theft and improve its dining experience in other ways.  Sodexo’s measures include enforcing entrances and exits, encouraging cashiers to keep a watchful eye on customers and strategically placing an employee on the floor to monitor students and discourage theft during times of high traffic.

“This is a hard thing to have to do,” Finfrock said.  “You hate to make accusations, because that is not what we are here to do.” 

While Caf theft certainly occurs frequently, it is very rare that students are actually caught stealing.  Finfrock estimates he dealt with fewer than 10 incidents last year. 

With renovations and new dining options on the way, Sodexo hopes to improve the Caf conditions that many consider unsatisfactory. Plans for Dining Services include a renovation of the Waves Café within the next two to three years.  Rather than its current format in which students enter and browse, students will be required to go up to a station, make meal selections and pay for their items before receiving them, as they would at most fast-casual dining establishments.   

According to Finfrock, Pepperdine’s student population has outgrown the 12-year-old Waves Café. He said he hopes that the addition of the La Brea Bakery, Nature’s Edge, and Jamba Juice, which are set to open by the spring semester, will help this problem.

“[They] will create a faster, more convenient, better atmosphere here,” Finfrock said.