New On-Campus Dining Service Partner Starts This Fall

Following Los Rios’ detailed planning and procurement process that gathered feedback from all colleges and constituency groups, we are excited to announce that Pacific Dining has been selected as our new on-campus food service partner. The Pacific Dining team has begun preparations to start operations to provide limited food service at American River, Folsom Lake, and Sacramento City Colleges for the Fall 2023 semester. Due to an ongoing kitchen renovation project at Cosumnes River College, the dining program will not begin operations immediately, but CRC’s administration and Pacific Dining are exploring ways to deliver limited food services with more information to be provided in the fall.

Pacific Dining is a family-owned, California-based food service provider that primarily focuses on serving California's community colleges. Pacific Dining’s wealth of experience includes operating cafés, coffee bars, child development center meal services, and campus catering services. They currently provide service on 22 different community college campuses in the state, including Sierra College. Through their proposal and interview with the evaluation committee, Pacific Dining demonstrated a commitment to our colleges’ diversity, equity, inclusion, and sustainability values.

The Pacific Dining culinary team plans to: 

• Introduce authentic global-inspired cuisines into the campus cafes.
• Introduce a sushi/poke concept at each college.
• Provide grill and deli stations, a salad bar, and a wide selection of grab-and-go items.
• Bring a "We Proudly Brew Starbucks" program to each college.
• Start the application process with CalFresh to accept EBT payments at each campus through the CalFresh Restaurant Meal Program.
• Provide Child Development Center meals and catering for the colleges.
• Allow our basic needs centers/food pantries to participate in Pacific Dining procurement contracts if they are interested. 
• Work with the colleges to reduce waste and support recycling, composting, and additional sustainability efforts.
• Offer employment opportunities to students.
• Engage in open communication for feedback and suggestions.

The Selection Process

This selection is the culmination of a process launched in Fall 2022 to bring food service back to our colleges following the COVID-19 shutdown. The process included a districtwide web-based survey to gather feedback from students, faculty, and staff; focus groups with representatives from a wide range of constituencies; and a thorough analysis of previous dining program operations. Guided by your feedback and our team’s analyses, in December 2022, we issued a Request for Proposal inviting external food service providers to submit a proposal to operate our colleges’ dining and vending programs. 

Questions?

Questions about our new dining partner can be directed to Operations Director Margaret Lednicky.