By Bethany Lam

Sodexo, our new school catering company, has given us not just food but also opinions. Previously, Chartwells has served RCHK for over 10 years and has looked after our diet loyally. However, a new caterer who has served food for over 50 years in schools, hospitals, facilities, and prisons has arrived. On Google, Sodexo is rated 1.8 stars, with different reviews ranging from “...very tasty…” and “...looks extremely threatening to human life…”. But those are the opinions of the uncaring public, not RCHK. Continue reading to find out what Renaissance College — our students, teachers, and staff — thinks.

Qing, a chef who has been working in Chartwells for a year, comments on the different catering companies. “Both have different elements, but the work is about the same towards the same people”. (translated from Chinese).

To explore these “different elements”, I asked English teacher Ms Turner to talk a little about them. “It seems like Chartwells has more choice, but the main meals in Sodexo are better,” she says.

Ms Turner also notes that “for Chartwells, the value was better. Especially for the salads. Like with Sodexo, you get a base [price], and you have to keep adding on. If I want cucumber, I add $4. And I want tomato [as well]… so I don’t add the meat because I feel like it's just adding on… but for Chartwells, [the prices are set]. One is $31 and has the base and then so many other vegetables and cheese. Then there’s one for $34 with the salmon.”

Almost every food type’s price has changed. The pizza has less cheese but costs a dollar more. Secondary has to pay more than the Primary, and to get more ingredients, you have to pay more.

According to one anonymous student, “Most of the main meals are tastier than Chartwells, but honestly, it’s too expensive and they are taking our money away.”

Another change is that there aren’t any more snacks. Another student remarks “...sometimes I don’t feel hungry enough to eat a full meal and just want a small snack. But there aren’t any at lunch.”

A positive impact that Sodexo has on RCHK is that there are more choices. It seems students appreciate that “there are two more options in the set menu”, as one frequent school lunch eater noted.

How is the food better? Well for one, Sodexo cooks the pasta in front of you, making it obviously fresher. This, however, has a few pros and cons. “The food quality is pretty good, but it could be faster.”, Yuki Ma from Y9 said.

Overall, RC embraces the different caterers and has positive and negative opinions about Sodexo and Chartwells. The RC community seems to love how the main meals are more delicious and that there are more of those, but also wish that the snacks would come back and that everything would be cheaper and faster.

But, as with anything, time will tell.

What do you think?