All of this new information I found has really made stop and think about what is going on every time I order something from the university food service. I went to a private school from 1st grade through 8th grade, so I never really encountered a cafeteria until I reached high school. At my high school I was somewhat shocked by the overall dirtiness of the cafeteria, and the appearance of the workers. They seemed worn out, with tired faces and monotone echoing out of their mouths. There was the occasional smile but that was a rare occurrence, and my overall impression was how poorly treated. Of course I instantly wondered why things were so dismal at my school, but then I did a little research and found out that this is how things are all across the country. And they are not only this way in high school cafeterias; there are workers like this in food service positions over a range of areas. Yet this was still not enough to make me want to change something about how the cafeteria workers were treated. I eventually got used to the surroundings in the cafeteria and paid my $1.35 for bagel and cream cheese like the rest of the kids in the school, and didn’t bother too recognize what was going on behind the scenes. After I left high school I went to Santa Clara University. At Santa Clara a company called Bon Appetit runs the cafeterias. Bon Appetit in turn is run, and managed by the large food service corporation Compass. The food at the cafeterias is essentially like dining in a moderately good restaurant. The food areas have the same environment as a restaurant, and the food is cooked on the spot instead of sitting premade behind glass. There are a wide variety of options and multiple different areas to order food. Along with the large variety, Bon Appetit provides balanced, healthy options. This was quite a step up from the cafeteria food served in high school. Along with improved quality came an increase in prices, but that was expected for the type of food being provided.  One thing that I noticed instantly though, was that the majority of the staff was Hispanic women. This came as a shock to me because I grew up in Montana where there was not much diversity in my home city and school.

I decided to do my website on cafeteria workers because I believe it is essential for people to see how the majority of cafeteria workers are treated. I do not believe that most people understand how bad the living situation is for those cafeteria workers who are employed by large corporations like Sodexo and Aramark. If I can provide this information to the public through a website that I created then maybe they will start to question how these workers are treated. Not only do I plan on trying to change how things are run through the use of public information, but I also believe that proposed legislature can change how things are currently run. By creating laws that ensure food service employees are paid wages that are at least living wages, much of this controversy can be ended. Also controlling major corporations like Sodexo and Aramrk from running the market will help lower prices for consumers, and relieve some of the stress put on the companies that have contracts Sodexo and Aramark.