Aramark and Dining react to pricing study - Dining Beat
Reporting about the SGA, not a record of it: The Johns Hopkins News-Letter published this and the SGA did not write it, file it, or approve it. The archive holds it because the article itself uses the phrases “sga” and “student government”.
Summary
- This Johns Hopkins News-Letter article covers a student pricing study of Charles Street Market and responses from Aramark, Dining Services and students.
- The News-Letter reported that the SGA was preparing a follow-up study; sophomore senator Mark Dirzulaitis said most prices matched other stores, but some were much higher.
- The paper reported that Karen Cutler described Aramark’s local price comparisons, while David Furhman said the company reviews prices monthly and examines 38 major products.
- The article says a Ben & Jerry’s pint cost $4.39 at Charles Street Market versus $3.99 at Superfresh, while eggs were cheaper there than at Superfresh and Safeway.
- The reporter writes that Furhman linked prices to operating costs and said dining dollars bought at the start of the year include a 1.4-to-1 exchange rate and a facilities fee of $136 to $416 per semester.
- The article quotes students who called the prices difficult or avoided the store, and compares Hopkins’ $2,579 14-meal plan with Towson’s $1,987 plan, noting their different dining-dollar amounts.