Proposed letter to Star Tribune Editor
Dear Editor,
My name is Benjamin Fugate. I am not a perfect person but I would like to address the readers on an important topic. Earlier this year, Minnesota Gophers football coach Tim Brewster was fired for doing an incompetent job of coaching. He is not the only person connected with the Gophers athletic program that needed to be fired. There is another person that needs to be let go, her name is Leslie Bowman.
Bowman is the contract administrator for the university dining services at U of M. She is the one that sets the policies for the hiring agencies that the U of M works with for food service. This includes the contract with Aramark. Among other responsibilities, Aramark hires the men and women who sell concessions in the seats and at the stands in the concourse. However, Leslie Bowman dictates to Aramark how their vendors are to do their jobs.
I am a “hawker” for Aramark. I go up and down the aisles to sell bottled beverages, snacks, hot dogs, and hot cocoa to those who are in the seats. I have worked in all six home games and it has been very hard to sell product and gain respect among the fans. This is a result of several policies endorsed by Leslie Bowman.
First, hawkers for Aramark have to remove the caps of the bottles of pop and water, no exceptions. This slows down the sale of the product and makes the U of M look irrational. I have to waste time explaining the policy to people who have no plans on throwing the bottles towards the field. I think it would be better for the PA to make several game announcements about the policy. Then allow vendors to provide caps to families with young children. This policy needs to be changed immediately.
Secondly, the vendors have been mistreated when it comes to the ever changing policy on selling in the concourse at halftime. In some of the games, vendors have been able to sell freely in the concourse during halftime. However, in other games, the vendors have been forced to sell in the seats at halftime because of the rogue actions of a few vendors. Normally these disobedient vendors are ones who sell mini donuts in the middle of the concourse. This has impeded traffic, according to the U of M. This activity, in turn, ruins halftime sales for every other vendor. This forces vendors into the seats where fans are more interested in the marching bands than refreshments. The noncompliant vendors need to be fired immediately and this policy needs to be updated accordingly. The vendors need to be allowed to sell on the edge of the concourse during halftime.
Thirdly, hawkers were told at job orientation to not take tips. Since then this policy has not been reiterated at all. However, when I have spoken with Aramark supervisors and with U of M representatives, I have been told that vendors are not permitted to take tips. Nevertheless, all other vendors take tips with regularity, but do not necessarily ask for them. These vendors even publish their success on tips in front of room managers. This policy has also wasted my time as I have turned down hundreds of dollars in tips. When explaining the policy, I have embarrassed the U of M and myself. I believe that sales have also been lost because of this policy and my efforts to abide by it. Vendors should be allowed to take tips but punished for asking for tips. This policy needs to be changed immediately.
Leslie Bowman needs to change these policies in the next seven days or be fired by the U of M for her incompetence. I have many other issues with the U of M and with Aramark but space does not allow me to mention them. I encourage all donors to the U of M’s athletic program to suspend giving until these policies are changed or Leslie Bowman is relieved of her duties.
If you would like to know more, please go to my blog at http://www.fugate2020.blogspot.com/
My name is Benjamin Fugate. I am not a perfect person but I would like to address the readers on an important topic. Earlier this year, Minnesota Gophers football coach Tim Brewster was fired for doing an incompetent job of coaching. He is not the only person connected with the Gophers athletic program that needed to be fired. There is another person that needs to be let go, her name is Leslie Bowman.
Bowman is the contract administrator for the university dining services at U of M. She is the one that sets the policies for the hiring agencies that the U of M works with for food service. This includes the contract with Aramark. Among other responsibilities, Aramark hires the men and women who sell concessions in the seats and at the stands in the concourse. However, Leslie Bowman dictates to Aramark how their vendors are to do their jobs.
I am a “hawker” for Aramark. I go up and down the aisles to sell bottled beverages, snacks, hot dogs, and hot cocoa to those who are in the seats. I have worked in all six home games and it has been very hard to sell product and gain respect among the fans. This is a result of several policies endorsed by Leslie Bowman.
First, hawkers for Aramark have to remove the caps of the bottles of pop and water, no exceptions. This slows down the sale of the product and makes the U of M look irrational. I have to waste time explaining the policy to people who have no plans on throwing the bottles towards the field. I think it would be better for the PA to make several game announcements about the policy. Then allow vendors to provide caps to families with young children. This policy needs to be changed immediately.
Secondly, the vendors have been mistreated when it comes to the ever changing policy on selling in the concourse at halftime. In some of the games, vendors have been able to sell freely in the concourse during halftime. However, in other games, the vendors have been forced to sell in the seats at halftime because of the rogue actions of a few vendors. Normally these disobedient vendors are ones who sell mini donuts in the middle of the concourse. This has impeded traffic, according to the U of M. This activity, in turn, ruins halftime sales for every other vendor. This forces vendors into the seats where fans are more interested in the marching bands than refreshments. The noncompliant vendors need to be fired immediately and this policy needs to be updated accordingly. The vendors need to be allowed to sell on the edge of the concourse during halftime.
Thirdly, hawkers were told at job orientation to not take tips. Since then this policy has not been reiterated at all. However, when I have spoken with Aramark supervisors and with U of M representatives, I have been told that vendors are not permitted to take tips. Nevertheless, all other vendors take tips with regularity, but do not necessarily ask for them. These vendors even publish their success on tips in front of room managers. This policy has also wasted my time as I have turned down hundreds of dollars in tips. When explaining the policy, I have embarrassed the U of M and myself. I believe that sales have also been lost because of this policy and my efforts to abide by it. Vendors should be allowed to take tips but punished for asking for tips. This policy needs to be changed immediately.
Leslie Bowman needs to change these policies in the next seven days or be fired by the U of M for her incompetence. I have many other issues with the U of M and with Aramark but space does not allow me to mention them. I encourage all donors to the U of M’s athletic program to suspend giving until these policies are changed or Leslie Bowman is relieved of her duties.
If you would like to know more, please go to my blog at http://www.fugate2020.blogspot.com/
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