Sodexo Food Trends Expo at Babson Shapes College Dining for 600 Campuses

Babson College will host the fifth campus “Food Trends Expo” on Friday, Oct. 23, 2009, given by Sodexo, a global leader in food service and facilities management.

Sodexo carefully monitors students’ taste buds to satisfy today’s well-traveled, celebrity-chef exposed, green-minded coeds.

More than 21 chefs will prepare 55 unique menu items, based on emerging food trends.

Sodexo’s Student Board of Directors, a group of 25 students from campuses across the country  who provide feedback and insight about students’ preferences, along with 1500 students and community members from Babson, will vote with their palates on their favorite items.  The votes will be tallied and results will affect Sodexo’s upcoming dining menus for the 600 campuses it serves nationwide.

“When students taste the food at the expo and then tell us what they think, they validate our market research,” said Dan Dunne, senior director, customer insight. “Getting their feedback is vital.”

Sodexo’s Student Board of Directors provides insight, feedback and direction about what today’s college student expects and desires from campus dining. The student forum brings Sodexo closer to the communities it serves and is the only foodservice provider to deliver such commitment to understanding its customers.

Gregor Nicolas is a Babson College accounting and global business management senior who is also a member of Sodexo’s SBOD, who joined to be part of the decision-making process for student dining.

“SBOD is a great opportunity to be part of a real corporate team and learn the intricacies of Sodexo and the industry,” Nicolas said. “It’s a great resume builder and teaches you to be an asset as a decision-making board member.”

Former Babson College SBOD members include Julianna Pham and Rebecca Soon. 

Sodexo, Inc. (www.sodexoUSA.com) is a leading integrated facilities management services company in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, with $7.7 billion (USD) in annual revenue and 120,000 employees. Sodexo serves more than ten million customers daily in corporations, health care, long term care and retirement centers, schools, college campuses, government, and remote sites. Sodexo, Inc., headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md., is a member of Sodexo Group, and funds all administrative costs for the Sodexo Foundation (www.SodexoFoundation.org), an independent charitable organization that, since its founding in 1999, has made more than $11 million in grants to fight hunger in America. Visit the corporate blog at www.sodexoUSA.com/blog.

Sodexho contact: Monica Zimmer
301 987 4461
monica.zimmer@sodexo.com