Sodexho to run UT concessions

The Tennessee athletic department has agreed to a five-year contract with Sodexho, a food and facilities management company, to run concessions at all athletics venues.

In making the deal, Sodexho will immediately take over concessions at UT football games and other sporting events that had been handled in the past by athletic department staff.

“This is a university and a community that takes great pride in athletics,” said Todd Boyd, Sodexho’s concessions general manager in charge of UT’s account, in a release from UT sports information, “and we are looking forward to being a part of it.”

Tiffany Carpenter, UT athletics director of public relations, said members of UT concessions management team will be retained either in other positions in the department or in jobs here with Sodexho.

The company has more than 120,000 employees in the United States, Canada and Mexico and revenues of $6.7 billion, according to information on its Web site.

Carpenter said in a April 19 News Sentinel story the move to a private concessions operator would allow more varieties of food at the various venues and get the university out of the food and beverage business.

“The food service challenges we have faced, especially in Neyland Stadium, have been well documented,” Carpenter said at the time.

Sodexho is examining how football concessions were handled in the past and beginning to implement changes. A main goal is to alleviate congestion by increasing the number of cashiers at each stand and reorganizing and simplifying the menus.

Sodexho also is working to bring nationally recognized brands into the concessions setup.

Tennessee is the 47th Division I athletics program to contract with the company.

Looking for Non-Profits: Sodexho is searching for non-profit organizations to assist with game-day concessions operations for UT football and basketball.

The company takes groups of six or more from local organizations and trains them to operate concession stands. In exchange, the organizations receive a portion of the proceeds from the stand.

Call Sue Snavely at 865-974-1204.