Kylemore to take over all on-campus catering and food outlets (apart from SU shops_

Sofa King Great

Would I be correct in assuming that the outlets previously operated by insomnia, 911 and cAfe fresca are closed this week?

Raphael

You would indeed sir. Fresca, 911 and the Insomnia in Conway are all definitely closed.

CramCycle

Raphael wrote: »

You would indeed sir. Fresca, 911 and the Insomnia in Conway are all definitely closed.

Is there anywhere decent for staff/students this week then? I really needed my overpriced coffee hit this morning

Is the grind staying open?

Raphael

The Grind has been closed all summer.

Currently open is: The restaurant, Café Brava, the Sports Café, and all SU shops. Centra is also probably still open, but I haven't been up that way today.

CramCycle

Raphael wrote: »

The Grind has been closed all summer.

Currently open is: The restaurant, Café Brava, the Sports Café, and all SU shops. Centra is also probably still open, but I haven't been up that way today.

The grind is currently part of that chipper/chinese (is cafe brava that place?) on the ground floor for the summer. Just didn't know if they were closed or not. Are Kylemore making many changes to the other businesses, no work going on in cafe fresca, seen the new crowd interviewing/talking to the old staff, whether that means they will remain or not is yet to be seen, no more decent coffee down there either way (it did used to be bad but then they learned how to clean the machine and not leave stale grinds in it anymore and it improved tremendously).

Raphael

Yeah, that's Café Brava. They're not going anywhere, got my lunch from there today.

I remember hearing somewhere that the part of Kylemores contract was not firing all the old staff and bringing in new ones, but I don't know how true that is. If nothing else, It'll save them doing much training if they rehire people.

mloc

Had a crap lunch from Cafe Brava today.

I think it's going to be a case of bringing in my own lunch today and eating it where Insomnia used to be. There's a sign up in Insomnia (in Conway), incidentally, indicating that it will soon house a Starbucks.

boodles

I wouldnt get too excited about klyemore, serious corner cutting and food is mediocre. Overall food quality very poor and samey:eek::eek::eek:

CramCycle

mloc wrote: »

Had a crap lunch from Cafe Brava today.

I think it's going to be a case of bringing in my own lunch today and eating it where Insomnia used to be. There's a sign up in Insomnia (in Conway), incidentally, indicating that it will soon house a Starbucks.

I died a little inside when I seen the Starbucks sign, it was bad enough overpaying Insomnia for sour coffee, now I'll be overpaying (by alot more) Starbucks/Kylemore for weak barely flavoured coffee.

OneOfThem Stumbled

CramCycle wrote: »

I died a little inside when I seen the Starbucks sign, it was bad enough overpaying Insomnia for sour coffee, now I'll be overpaying (by alot more) Starbucks/Kylemore for weak barely flavoured coffee.

Hey don't knock the quality of Starbucks coffee (apart from filter). It's only the price that is a nightmare (even if it is reduced on campus). Hopefully a large amount of diversity will be maintained between the different food outlets - although personally I have always found the SU bars the best.

CramCycle

OneOfThem Stumbled wrote: »

Hey don't knock the quality of Starbucks coffee (apart from filter). It's only the price that is a nightmare (even if it is reduced on campus). Hopefully a large amount of diversity will be maintained between the different food outlets - although personally I have always found the SU bars the best.

I'll introduce a correction then, in my opinion, Starbucks isn't great quality coffee. I'll be back to making my own full time again, it was just nice to pop out and have it done for me.

Also Cafe Fresca is now Pulse Cafe, complete with tackey red heartbeat logo.

Red Alert

Is it still going to be doing a similar menu to Fresca?

CramCycle

Red Alert wrote: »

Is it still going to be doing a similar menu to Fresca?

On the basis (I am guessing) they aren't doing any work inside then I presume there will be little in the way of changes to the style of the place ie a sandwich bar with coffee and pastries. It will undoubtedly change a bit menu wise but there are no signs up in regards to that end of things.

littlefriend

CramCycle wrote: »

in my opinion, Starbucks isn't great quality coffee.

Totally agree. Its terrible!

misslt

This is going to be such a pain.

We can't choose where to eat (we have the restaurants overpriced mediocrity or Kylemore overpriced mediocrity) and its so bloody hard to find somewhere to eat your own lunch.

Bit crap imo.

Sad to see insomnia go, I have to say I love their white chocolate mochas

Only discovered cafe fresca about 3 weeks before term ended, thought it was great. Very difficult to get a decent salad on campus

Pride Fighter

I'm glad I'm no longer a student in UCD. It is not ethical for there to be a monopoly on campus. Perhaps the SU should introduce a Co-Op cafe and put the profits into the Student Welfare fund.

eilo1

This is awful!

No more chicken pesto wraps from cafe fresca!!

Well at least kylmore might bring back coke!

Raphael

eilo1 wrote: »

This is awful!

No more chicken pesto wraps from cafe fresca!!

Well at least kylmore might bring back coke!

Eh, no. Non-Britvic products are banned on campus.

Oasis_Dublin

Heading into post-grad in September and I've probably bought my lunch all of 5 times in my previous three years in UCD. The food is all crap and over-priced, so it's a moot point to say there will be less choice now.

Hopefully the price comes down, even though I can't see how that will happen in a monopoly.

Raphael

It's not a full monopoly though - Café Brava, the Grind, the Restaurant, the Sports Café and the Student Bar will all be staying as they are. So that should keep Kylemore honest.

Also, there may be something in the contract about not extorting money out of us poor students. Maybe. A man can dream, can't he?

Oasis_Dublin

Student bar chips are great. It's just a pity that they insist upon blaring out crap music at 1 in the afternoon.

Wow, I really am getting out. :eek:

Xhristy

This post has been deleted.

CramCycle

Oasis_Dublin wrote: »

Student bar chips are great. It's just a pity that they insist upon blaring out crap music at 1 in the afternoon.

Wow, I really am getting out. :eek:

When is the forum re opening? time to go back to my classic of sausage beans and chips. SU bar is to far to walk on lunch break.

bobbykerr

This is the situation as I understand it:
My Company Insomnia recently re tendered for our catering Contracts at the Quinn school of Business and the Conway Institute in UCD .
We(and all the other independent catering providers on Campus) lost the business having enjoyed a very positive relationship with the students and staff of UCD for almost 9 years in my case.:mad::mad::mad::mad:


The process around the selection of Kylemore as a single operator to replace all the independent operators appears flawed for the following reasons:

1. The principal that UCD would only allow a caterer operate a maximum of 2 outlets on Campus ( which had been the case up until this year) was changed for this tender. Only parties who bid for all 7 outlets were called for interview. We were disadvantaged by not bidding for all 7 licences as we were unaware that UCDs policy had changed in favour of a single operator.
2. The units currently operated by Kylemore on Campus( Smurfit School in Blackrock & Elements which is now closed in the science building) were excluded from the Tender process.
3. There was no student representation (the single biggest stakeholder) on the selection panel. I was involved in Catering tenders in UCC many years ago and the students always had representation on the catering tender panel.
4. There was no staff consultation (with the exception of the representative from each building)on the selection panel
5. There was inadequate notice to vacate given to each of the incumbent caterers on campus.

I greatly appreciate the business my company enjoyed in UCD over the years and I am heartened by the volumes of support that I have personally received from both staff and students who appear shocked that UCD would change from a service whereby there was competition on Campus to a situation whereby UCD have allowed a monopoly to be created with one caterer which cannot be in the interest of the Stakeholders in particular the staff and students.

mloc wrote: »

So, apparently, Kylemore are to take over all the on campus food outlets apart from those run by the SU, at the end of this month.

This includes Cafe Fresca (formerly O' Briens), Insomnia, 911, Arts Cafe (Hilpers) etc.

It's a little curious that this is happening so quickly and over the summer; the manager of Cafe Fresca was removed from a meeting by security when he queried whether this takeover had gone to tender. It is a serious issue for many of the staff of these outlets who are now out of a job.

It is unlikely this takeover is going to help prices or indeed food quality, if the restaurant is anything to go by. Where are our wonderful SU during all of this?

CramCycle

bobbykerr wrote: »

This is the situation as I understand it:
My Company Insomnia recently re tendered for our catering Contracts at the Quinn school of Business and the Conway Institute in UCD .
We(and all the other independent catering providers on Campus) lost the business having enjoyed a very positive relationship with the students and staff of UCD for almost 9 years in my case.:mad::mad::mad::mad:


The process around the selection of Kylemore as a single operator to replace all the independent operators appears flawed for the following reasons:

1. The principal that UCD would only allow a caterer operate a maximum of 2 outlets on Campus ( which had been the case up until this year) was changed for this tender. Only parties who bid for all 7 outlets were called for interview. We were disadvantaged by not bidding for all 7 licences as we were unaware that UCDs policy had changed in favour of a single operator.
2. The units currently operated by Kylemore on Campus( Smurfit School in Blackrock & Elements which is now closed in the science building) were excluded from the Tender process.
3. There was no student representation (the single biggest stakeholder) on the selection panel. I was involved in Catering tenders in UCC many years ago and the students always had representation on the catering tender panel.
4. There was no staff consultation (with the exception of the representative from each building)on the selection panel
5. There was inadequate notice to vacate given to each of the incumbent caterers on campus.

I greatly appreciate the business my company enjoyed in UCD over the years and I am heartened by the volumes of support that I have personally received from both staff and students who appear shocked that UCD would change from a service whereby there was competition on Campus to a situation whereby UCD have allowed a monopoly to be created with one caterer which cannot be in the interest of the Stakeholders in particular the staff and students.

It is despicable that it happened this way, I was talking to the staff in Cafe Fresca who mentioned similar things (they did not hear about the tender at all until the review was going on and applications were closed). The owner of Cafe Fresca/O'Briens was removed from a meeting by security when he went to the meeting at the last meeting to ask why he had not been informed.

They did not even give anyone more than 2 weeks to close down, I am no legal expert but I would have thought that there would have been a minimum of a month or a stated time in the contracts before removal could be enforced.

Hopefully they will re hire your old staff as that is the only decent thing left to do but I fear my final year working here will be one of packed lunches.

PS will miss your staff that worked in the Conway over the years, lovely people through my undergrad/postgrad etc.

OmegaRed10

CramCycle wrote: »

It is despicable that it happened this way, I was talking to the staff in Cafe Fresca who mentioned similar things (they did not hear about the tender at all until the review was going on and applications were closed). The owner of Cafe Fresca/O'Briens was removed from a meeting by security when he went to the meeting at the last meeting to ask why he had not been informed.

They did not even give anyone more than 2 weeks to close down, I am no legal expert but I would have thought that there would have been a minimum of a month or a stated time in the contracts before removal could be enforced.

Hopefully they will re hire your old staff as that is the only decent thing left to do but I fear my final year working here will be one of packed lunches.

PS will miss your staff that worked in the Conway over the years, lovely people through my undergrad/postgrad etc.

I'd like to know where the story of the Cafe Fresca owner being removed by security has come from. Id imagine that Campus Security/Services wouldnt remove anybody (esp. from a private meeting...) unless they were told a situation had become violent or something.

I doubt any security were asked to remove someone for asking a question - its not Stalinist Russia in there!

mloc

bobbykerr wrote: »

This is the situation as I understand it...

I was surprised by the speed of the move, particularly after seeing you in Insomnia (Conway) quite recently and from the measuring that was going on, I thought an expansion was on the cards.

It certainly does not bode well for students as a monopoly will now be in place, particularly given the questionable nature of the tendering process and the negatives reports of other college food outlets run by Kylemore.

mloc

OmegaRed10 wrote: »

I'd like to know where the story of the Cafe Fresca owner being removed by security has come from. Id imagine that Campus Security/Services wouldnt remove anybody (esp. from a private meeting...) unless they were told a situation had become violent or something.

I doubt any security were asked to remove someone for asking a question - its not Stalinist Russia in there!

I heard about this also. At the meeting in question the owner requested details of the tendering process, which went ignored, and after repeated requests regarding that information he was removed by security.

My source on this is fairly solid.

OmegaRed10

mloc wrote: »

I heard about this also. At the meeting in question the owner requested details of the tendering process, which went ignored, and after repeated requests regarding that information he was removed by security.

My source on this is fairly solid.

Not knocking your source but I'd still be doubtful on this, unless kylemore brought their own security perhaps.

Id like to hear Michael Moyles side of the story - it'd be quite a story if he came out now about what he thought to be shady tendering (worth millions im sure) and got removed. Would be a matter of public interest too I reckon.

CramCycle

OmegaRed10 wrote: »

I'd like to know where the story of the Cafe Fresca owner being removed by security has come from. Id imagine that Campus Security/Services wouldnt remove anybody (esp. from a private meeting...) unless they were told a situation had become violent or something.

I doubt any security were asked to remove someone for asking a question - its not Stalinist Russia in there!

The way I heard the story (from IMO a reliable source) he repeatedly called in the meeting for full disclosure on the tendering process, where it was advertised and why there was no attempt to contact him for discussion/notify him of the decision (he heard far from third hand) and they wouldn't even acknowledge his presence, he then raised his voice as they weren't listening. Someone then called services or security to escort him from the meeting.