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Changes to CANEX Food Services Program
By Brigitte Smiley, Communications Manager, CFPSA, Ottawa, 613-996-6393, smiley.brigitte@cfpsa.com and Kristin Wood, Communications Assistant, CFPSA, Ottawa, 613-996-2062, wood.kristine@cfpsa.com
You may have noticed changes at your local CANEX in recent months. Perhaps you may even have heard that CANEX was sold! Better yet, maybe you heard that contracts were lost for outlets at CFB Petawawa, CFB Gagetown, and in several Ottawa buildings. While the rumour mill churns, the truth is, CANEX has not been sold and no contracts have been lost. The changes you may already have seen are the result of an analysis conducted on CANEX programs and operations.
Included in the analysis of CANEX morale and welfare programs, was a breakdown of all.aspects of the CANEX Food Services Program. Areas related to standards, consistency, quality, return on investment, and viability of service were reviewed from a long-term life cycle perspective.
In an effort to offer a more consistent and higher-level food program across the country, while meeting the mandate to provide resale services to the CF community, CANEX has partnered with Aramark Foods to provide food service outlets in various locations. CANEX will retain overall responsibility for these outlets, but Aramark Foods will run the daily operations.
“CANEX will still be responsible and continue to manage delivery of the program. We will oversee standards, health and safety, pricing, and will have a say in what products are offered in our different types of food outlets,” explains CANEX president Gerry Mahon. “To the customer entering our door, it will be the same. The CANEX sign will stay and in many cases employees will be the same.”
CANEX chose Aramark because they are specialists in the food operation business. They’re a multibillion-dollar international company that operates food services in hospitals, universities, colleges and other large organizations across the globe. Their expertise and buying power will allow CANEX to offer a more tailored food program across the country and be able to adapt quickly to changes within the food service industry. The capital investment in equipment, one of the largest expenditures and biggest constraints in the food business, will be more effective with this partnership.
The decision to change these.aspects of the food services program is based on detailed analysis and experience working with Aramark. CFB Halifax, Esquimalt, and Winnipeg already have Aramark food operations.
“We’re pleased with Aramark’s attention to detail and the service they provide in the original three locations,” says Ward Wilkinson, National Manager Business Development Services. “We’re excited to expand our agreement to include the new locations of CFB Petawawa, CFB Gagetown and CFSU (O).”
This expansion will help CANEX deliver consistency in the food offerings across the country while being able to keep the overall costs of running a food service program in check.
Mr. Mahon says he anticipates that there will be growing pains along the way. “There will be normal issues that you deal with along the way regardless of who is running the local operation. We’ll evaluate and adjust as we go along. The longer-term view, however, is based on more effective operations, higher, more consistent standards and better management of investments. In the end, it’s still a CANEX managed operation working towards giving back more profits to base funds, as directed by the NPP board. In the meantime, for any questions or concerns, customers can always talk to the local staff or contact CANEX HQ.”
Here is a tid-bit of information from Gerry Mahon that you read here first – CANEX is working with PWGSC to put a takeout Tim Hortons in NDHQ and Louis St. Laurent Building! CANEX will be the franchisee.