Moeller Chooses Sage to Fuel the School

Moeller President Mr. Marshall Hyzdu

As they approach the end of their contract with Aramark, Moeller will hire the food provider Sage to fuel the school for future, starting in the 2020-2021 school year.  

Through a very selective process, Moeller President Marshall Hyzdu met with three various food service providers to determine the future food of Moeller. According to Mr. Hyzdu, “Sage just presented the best plan [...] they’re just a better provider for Moeller in the long term.” 

One of the many things Sage plans on implanting is fresh food, rather than frozen and reheated food. Everything is made from scratch every day. Mr. Hyzdu elaborated how investing in the health and wellness of the Men of Moeller is important to not only him, but also the faculty, staff, and parents.

Hyzdu explained how one of the major benefits of choosing Sage is the access to fresh, healthy meals and additional variety of food choices. The hope is that Sage will take over food services beginning next year.  

Moeller Dean of Students Mr. Michael Shaffer

The renovations to the cafeteria the following year (2021-2022 school year) are still in full effect, but Sage will be the food provider for next year, potentially even after the renovations occur. 

In an interview with the Dean of Students, Mr. Mike Shaffer, he said that the plan was to do a one-year contract with Sage to see whether the students liked the food or not. If results are favorable, Sage will be the provider for years to come. He even addressed certain rumors about the renovations being in a food court style, where different restaurants were to come in and sell their food. Mr. Shaffer said that they do not plan to do that, but what he would like to see is different areas cater different types of food: pasta station, burger station, pizza station, etc.  

Meal plan discussions

One item the board has discussed is instituting a meal plan for the cafeteria. The meal plan would change the way of cafeteria life completely. Mr. Hyzdu is confident that, “Sage are experts in all-inclusive meal plans. We’re going to evaluate their food, management, the way they run everything, over the next year.” Moeller also plans “to meet with parents, students, faculty, and staff members about the all-inclusive meal plan.”  

The meal plan would not be optional, requiring all students to pay and participate. Hyzdu explains that if kids who are packing their lunch would be able to ask kids who are on the meal plan for food. Since the new plan would be all you can eat style, it wouldn’t be too hard to share with your friends. The meal plan would eliminate theft and the flow of lunch would be much smoother. There would be no waiting in long lines to punch your number at the checkout, and you can just grab your food and sit down.  

The all-inclusive meal plan would also impact tuition by raising the prices. The raised tuition price, however, would pay for all meals for students. The yearly tuition per student is expected to raise about $5 a day.  Some families spend much more than that on daily lunch purchases, and therefore may welcome this change.  On the other hand, the thought of being forced to pay more while packing your lunch may not appeal to families that do so. 

Not only is switching food service providers beneficial for health, but it was also stressed that food is critical for learning, as well as extracurriculars. The healthy meal plan is ideal for the sports teams in order for them to compete to the best of their ability. According to Hyzdu, the same is true for the classroom: “the better food you have in your system, the more likely you’re going to be attentive and learn.” Ultimately, healthy food impacts all aspects of a school, which is why switching to Sage will be better for future generations of Moeller Men to come.