Food service model remains unprofitable

The Grille and 51 Main at the Bridge continue to lose money despite reductions in hours of operation, administration officials acknowledged. The two College-operated venues stand to lose $340,000 and $70,000 in fiscal year 2010, respectively.

While 51 Main is expected to reach profitability in coming quarters, more significant changes will be necessary to achieve profitability at the Grille, according to Chief Financial Officer Patrick Norton.

Norton cited the delivery model as a serious problem at the Grille.

Because the delivery model is a “labor-intensive” system where all food is made to order, losses are difficult to control. Neither The Grille nor 51 Main has ever been profitable.

The Grille’s need for a large staff, coupled with infrequent patronage throughout much of the day, makes for a model that is “unsustainable,” Norton wrote in an e-mail.

In order to achieve profitability, changes to the model will be considered. One such change might include a move toward a self-service model. In this situation, made-to-order Dr. Feelgoods would be replaced by pre-made sandwiches, for example.

Norton declined to expand on what changes might occur, but did assure that “students would see very few changes.”

Professor of Sociology E. Burke Rochford believes that the College should be operated in a holistic matter, where individual parts are not measured by their individual addition to the bottom line but instead by their addition to the Middlebury experience.

“The Grille is part of operating the College and should be seen as such. It is not a separate business but is part of the larger operation at the College that serves the interests of students and faculty,” he said.

“If we use the same [financial] logic, perhaps there are departments at the College that don’t attract a great number of majors … using the bottom line as a criterion should be disbanded.”

Professor of Political Science Mark Williams said he would support a move toward the self-service model.

“I would personally be open to such an experiment, since finding the right model for either facility to succeed financially is crucial,” Williams said in an e-mail.

“Any loss [at the Grille or 51 Main] is unacceptable.”

While Old Chapel agrees that there can be no acceptable level of losses at the Grille and 51 Main, Norton confirmed that despite significant losses at the Grille, “there is no plan to close operations.”

Elliott Yoo ’12 remains unsure whether the Grille should remain open as it fails to be profitable.

“It’s hard to tell if the value the Grille adds to the campus warrants such a loss, but I think it’s worth it,” Yoo said.

Reduction in daytime hours, however, would not affect Yoo as he says he visits predominantly between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m.

Rochford, on the other hand, does not agree with the reductions in hours, and sees it as limiting the potential for extracurricular student and faculty interaction.

“Academic life is largely about conversation, and by limiting these opportunities, the College perhaps unwittingly undermines its mission and purpose,” he said in an e-mail.