EDITORIAL: Food court entirely too expensive
Issue date: 4/28/09 Section: Opinion
Money is tight for college students right now, but that doesn't mean that students don't get hungry. While little money is coming into the college student's hand, he is still forced to shell out large amounts to fill his belly.
On this campus, students can't shop around for the "best price" at dinnertime. Instead, they are forced to eat at the campus cafeteria, which has little to no competition. However, students can do little more than complain. With the location of the university and the state of parking, few students can take the chance of leaving campus in search for better prices.
Billy Garland, general manager of campus dining, said that there is a lot of competitor research at places like Wendy's, McDonald's, Burger King, Gary's Hamburgers and Pizza Joint are all taken into consideration before prices are set. However, some students still complain that there is a drastic price difference and take the chance of venturing off campus for food.
Perhaps the prices are higher because there is no competition. Currently, Augusta State University has a student enrollment of 6,804, according to the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia's Web site. But at Clayton State University in Morrow, Ga., with an enrollment of 6,127, students enjoy the choice of food from the cafeteria or a Pizza Hut.
Then, at Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville, Ga., which has an enrollment of 6,189 (around 200 less students than Augusta State), student have the choice of food from the cafeteria, Chick-fil-A, Einstein Brothers Bagels, Blimpie, Icebox and World of Wings.
According to Garland, it would cost the university $150,000 to open the doors to a restaurant like Chick-fil-A on campus, not including all the other setup fees. Also, the university would have to guarantee that the retail location would make a certain amount of sales per year.
At this time, it seems unreasonable to ask the university to pay to open a competitive restaurant when the administration is already dealing with stiff budget cuts. However, the question remains as to why there was never a competitor before the recession began. If competitors aren't going to be brought on campus, food prices should lower in order to benefit the struggling college student locked on campus during the school day.
As for the future, bringing competition on campus begins with the students. According to Garland, there has to first be interest in the student body before the question goes before the SGA. After that it's on the administrative, but it first begins with the students.
On this campus, students can't shop around for the "best price" at dinnertime. Instead, they are forced to eat at the campus cafeteria, which has little to no competition. However, students can do little more than complain. With the location of the university and the state of parking, few students can take the chance of leaving campus in search for better prices.
Billy Garland, general manager of campus dining, said that there is a lot of competitor research at places like Wendy's, McDonald's, Burger King, Gary's Hamburgers and Pizza Joint are all taken into consideration before prices are set. However, some students still complain that there is a drastic price difference and take the chance of venturing off campus for food.
Perhaps the prices are higher because there is no competition. Currently, Augusta State University has a student enrollment of 6,804, according to the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia's Web site. But at Clayton State University in Morrow, Ga., with an enrollment of 6,127, students enjoy the choice of food from the cafeteria or a Pizza Hut.
Then, at Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville, Ga., which has an enrollment of 6,189 (around 200 less students than Augusta State), student have the choice of food from the cafeteria, Chick-fil-A, Einstein Brothers Bagels, Blimpie, Icebox and World of Wings.
According to Garland, it would cost the university $150,000 to open the doors to a restaurant like Chick-fil-A on campus, not including all the other setup fees. Also, the university would have to guarantee that the retail location would make a certain amount of sales per year.
At this time, it seems unreasonable to ask the university to pay to open a competitive restaurant when the administration is already dealing with stiff budget cuts. However, the question remains as to why there was never a competitor before the recession began. If competitors aren't going to be brought on campus, food prices should lower in order to benefit the struggling college student locked on campus during the school day.
As for the future, bringing competition on campus begins with the students. According to Garland, there has to first be interest in the student body before the question goes before the SGA. After that it's on the administrative, but it first begins with the students.
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