Pepsi to replace Coke on campus

Street vendors may be the last resort for thirsty students who want a cold can of Coca-Cola in the fall. Starting June 1, Canteen Corporation of America will hold the exclusive vending contract for University buildings. Because Canteen is partnered with Mil-Ray Foods and Nutrition American as well as with Pepsi Cola, Coca-Cola vending machines will no longer remain in the buildings. Instead, all vending machines will offer Pepsi Cola or Canteen products. Any buildings with vending machines supplied by companies other than Canteen or Pepsi will have to remove the unapproved machines by May 31. "Although they're still talking, I think that there will be no Coke machines on campus," said Sandra Bates, who is acting as the campus-wide administrator for Vending Services. Bates said Hospitality Services interviewed students and faculty, finding that quality of service was their chief concern, not brand of product. Executive Director of Hospitality Services Donald Jacobs formed a Total Quality Management team last October to investigate vendor contracts. The decision, he added, will affect only one-third of University vending machines, and will not affect either Dining Services, which still will use Coke exclusively, or machines in Houston Hall, Hill House and the Franklin Building. The changeover to Pepsi did not bother people, Bates said. The new contract will link the University to other specific name brands, such as Ocean Spray, Lipton, Stouffer, Campbell and Jack & Jill ice cream products. And Jacobs said the machines offer a variable price option, which can charge lower prices for certain products and higher prices for others. Pizza Hut and Taco Bell retailers will also be highlighted under the new contract with Canteen. In addition, a coffeehouse facility is scheduled to open in the Morgan Building at the Medical School in the fall, where franchises such as Taco Bell will sell their products. The new contract will also ensure that vending machines will have coin changers installed, so dollar bills can be used with greater ease. The University's current vending contractor is Blue Ribbon, which was recently bought out by Canteen. "We haven't had any problems with Blue Ribbon," Bates said. "We're just improving on something that's already good." The main classroom buildings which will be affected are Steinberg-Dietrich Hall, Stiteler Hall and Vance Hall. Dormitories with vending machines will also see the changeover.