Author: Elwyn Pratt
Auntie Em’s Kitchen, a long-time provider of baked goods and salads for the Tiger Cooler and Coffee Cart, ended its sales to Campus Dining mid-September. The decision was made public to the Occidental community through the digest email on Sept. 20.
“Auntie Em’s has served us very well the past few years, but last week they notified us that it was no longer in the best interest of their operation to continue serving our accounts,” the email read.
“[The decision was] purely financial,” Auntie Em’s owner Terri Wahl said in an email interview with The Weekly. “Because we use high quality ingredients and because those prices keep going up we had to call it quits.”
Wahl added that the store’s relationship with Occidental was fantastic and very professional. She wanted to continue to sell food to Campus Dining even if it was for less of a profit, but she would have had to sacrifice either high-quality ingredients or a positive budget. According to Wahl, the company has no other partnerships with schools and is not seeking any new ones.
Tiger Cooler manager Robert Starec was disappointed with the timing of the decision.
“Had this happened over the summer, we would have had three months to choose the right [replacement] company without feeling so rushed,” Starec said. “Now we’re in the situation where we have to operate without the support of Auntie Em’s.”
Wahl said that she also thought the timing was unfortunate, claiming that the prices for her ingredients increased unexpectedly. The bakery had previously supplied most of the meal items found at the Coffee Cart, including homemade salads and sandwiches with organic ingredients.
“When we had Auntie Em’s products, we would get 200 plus students at the Coffee Cart each night, and we were averaging $2,000 in sales,” Starec said. “Now we’re only doing $800 or $900.”
Starec is meeting with companies to find an appropriate replacement for Auntie Em’s, but the process won’t be easy. The new company, according to Associate Vice President Amy Munoz, will need to provide Occidental with over 150 entrees and dozens of frozen baked goods every day.
For now, salads and sandwiches will be provided by Campus Dining staff. New items from other retailers may appear as soon as next week.
“Based on the meetings I’ve just had, there’s a lot to be excited about,” Starec said.
“There will be different styles of sandwiches, different salads, moose cakes, lava cakes. Auntie Em’s had their special kale salad; one of the companies we’re looking at has its own quinoa salad… I’m really excited about the opportunity to bring in somebody new.”
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