Almost every day the students hear of new offers at the AUB Cafeteria: the 50th purchaser gets a free meal, with every meal you get a yogurt for free, the cafeteria offers you free Nescafe today....

In fact, as the University opened its doors beginning this October, the Cafeteria apparently looked different. A new corner serves hot and cold drinks and sweets, a new hand-size orange menu is available, and the staff now wears new green and white uniforms.

What is behind such changes this year at the AUB Cafeteria?

One of the suspected reasons is the competition generated since the opening up of the Abella-run Mary Dodge Hall Cafeteria last January. Ghassan Madi, the manager of the AUB Cafeteria, denied such a claim, saying, "Abella's opening did not affect our cafeteria immensely, only by 5% or 10%. Abella, after all, is a well-known name, but students will not go that far to eat and so they do it once out of curiosity."

For his part, the manager of Mary Dodge Hall Cafeteria, Ali Mallah, claimed, "Our target group is the female dormitory residents. There is no competition with the other food outlets at AUB. We cannot compare, because we are very far from others," he added.

With both cafeterias admitting the non-existent competition between them, Azmi Imad, the Director of Business Services and Risk Management, asserted the opposite. "Abella is our competitor. Competition is healthy and it is but obvious that there is competition," Imad said. "With no competition, there would be no reason to innovate and move forward," Imad added.

Imad also spoke about the new uniforms at the AUB Cafeteria. "The new uniforms were in the closet, but now they are used," he said. Madi claimed, "Every four to five years, we change the uniforms of the employees."

According to Madi, the new changes at the Cafeteria are due to the students' constant desire for new things. For example, innovative drinks, such as frappuccino and an iced chocolate drink are served by a friendly and warm AUB Cafeteria staff.

Moreover, Imad insures that from time to time a new item is introduced in the menu. This new menu, in fact, includes healthy meals and vegetarian dishes. However, "They are in low demand," Madi said.

Despite these changes that apparently have caused the large student turn-out at the Cafeteria this fall, Madi stated that usually in October and November sales are always at their highest and by December they tend to fall.

According to Madi, "Sales were much better before and the student's purchasing power was stronger. Now, due to the economic crisis, students are getting food from their homes," Madi said.

Concerning prices, Madi claimed that they are still the same and "they will only get lower."

Interestingly, Mallah, the Mary Dodge Hall manager, told Outlook that sales in his cafeteria are not high this fall semester. "There are many new students at the beginning of each semester and so it takes time until they settle for a choice," he said.

In fact, Mary Dodge Hall Cafeteria charges about LL1,000 to LL2,000 less than their other outlets in other universities, such as the Lebanese American University in Jbeil. Of course, this low price accentuates the claim of a presence of competition between the Mary Dodge Hall Cafeteria and the AUB Cafeteria. In fact, Ali admitted that at one of point of time, he went up to the upper campus to check the new AUB Cafeteria menu.

It seems that despite the AUB Cafeteria's improvements, its old and unrenovated food hall which appears dark and unclean, deters the Cafeteria's sales. On the other hand, Mary Dodge Hall does not have such problem due to its recent refurbishing.

"Usually restaurants are good-looking from outside, but sometimes their kitchens and staff are not necessarily clean. For us, it is the opposite," Madi said.

The AUB sanitary inspector is more qualified and competent than the Ministry of Health, according to Madi. She inspects every aspect of the Cafeteria, from the nails of the employees to the tiniest item in the refrigerator. She checks for dates of expiration and conservation and introduces the latest detergents used for improved cleanliness and sanitation.

With no prior appointment, Madi took Outlook on a tour to the back rooms of the Cafeteria, from the storage room to the cooking area, even to the refrigerators. In fact, the garbage has to be conserved in special refrigerators so as not to pollute the surroundings of the Cafeteria.

Madi admitted that his employees are not specialized staff, except for his chef. "They learn here and we, in coordination with the AUB sanitary inspector, provide them with training sessions," he said.

Unlike the AUB Cafeteria employees, Madi stated, "Abella's staff are very well-trained prior to their employment."

Madi had a final request concerning the AUB Cafeteria. He asked students to volunteer and initiate campaigns for painting the walls of the Cafeteria. "Students should feel that the Cafeteria is theirs," Madi added.

Azmi Imad, the Director of Business Services and Risk Management, elaborated on this idea by requesting that the door be opened to the employment of students in the Cafeteria. "Wouldn't it be nice to see students who work in the Cafeteria bringing their friends over to eat?" he asked.

Imad also believes that student employment at the Cafeteria will decrease expenses, because students are usually paid less than AUB staff.

"The AUB Cafeteria," according to Imad, "is here to provide services to students. They are our customers. They are the reason we exist. We have to appeal to their needs. If we do not do that, we are doomed." He added that the Cafeteria's aim is to provide, with no concern for profit-making, healthy food that is cheap and clean.

The upper campus AUB Cafeteria and the Mary Dodge Hall Cafeteria are but two of other food services outlets at AUB. Other outlets on Campus are going to have their share of the story in coming issues of Outlook.