By Asenath Were
Students at Uganda Christian University have expressed concerns about the quality and amount of food served at the various restaurants on the campus. The students’ complaints are also over costs charged for the food.
Irene Nakirya, a student studying for a bachelor’s degree in education, says the problem is that the restaurants take too long to process orders from students. She also says that there has been a noticeable decline in quantity, making it difficult for customers to see the value of what they are paying for.
“Even though the restaurants offer good services, their food is of poor quality — for instance, the beef that is served at Touch of Class in the morning is never ready,” she says.
One of the students who preferred to remain anonymous says that he has had the opportunity to dine at a few restaurants at UCU including BOBICS, Canopy Grill, and Touch of Class but in some of them, the waiters and waitresses treat him rudely and he wonders if this is because they are fatigued when he arrives to get the service.
For Keith Basemererwa, a second-year Science and Economics student, the complaint is over the poor structures. “Touch of Class restaurant has the largest market in the school and they have good food, but their structure is poor. They have papyrus mats as their ceiling that holds water and they leak; sometimes you are eating and a rat passes through and the water drops into your food. Their roofs leak, even when it hasn’t rained,” he says.
He also says their tables are shaky leading to food easily falling off them.
Another student who preferred anonymity says that while the food at some restaurants is good, the problem is that it takes too long for people to get snacks like fries.
“For instance, the last time we were at one of the restaurants, we had to wait over an hour for chips since they are made on request and are not available for purchase right away; instead, customers must place an order and then wait for their order for one to two hours,” she explains in frustration.
Other students complain that some of the restaurants do not have enough change and have a habit of sending students away at such times.
“If you have about UGX 5,000 and want to buy something for UGX 1,000-2000, they usually tell us to leave and claim that there is no change,” one of them says.
In response to the complaints, the workers and heads of the restaurants say they do their best and that while some of the complaints hold water, they are working on rectifying them.
A waitress at Touch of Class, Shamim Nakirijja, admits that there have been some issues but they are being worked on.
“It is true that the tables were shaking, but they were changed and the ceiling was fixed with new papyrus mats to stop leaks,” she says.
She adds that the reason there is undercooked meat during breakfast is that students rush the waitresses to serve the meal quickly because they are in a hurry.
“It’s not that the meat isn’t ready; rather, some individuals arrive at the restaurant at 8am hoping to eat breakfast, but the food isn’t ready. What would you expect if one cannot wait?” she inquired. “You can ask someone to wait for around 30 more minutes or 20, and they will tell you, “Give it to me like that.”
Richard Ekadu the head of the UCU catering department says the restaurants offer what is enough and a balanced diet.
“Speaking for the Janan Luwuum dining hall and Pearl Classic (Guild Canteen), I think all over Uganda, we still provide the best quality food which is well balanced. We always give students food rich in carbohydrates, proteins, fat, and minerals,” he says.
He goes on to share that the quantity in the dining hall is more than enough and is surprised that anybody could complain about it. According to him, their challenge is that they serve students a lot and they go and share. “Some students just come to sit in the dining hall during lunch such that a colleague can serve more and then they share,” he reveals.
He goes on to say parents who come to pay for their children are asked to come and taste the meals before they pay. “All the feedback we have received from the parents is very positive,” he notes.
He also argues that the price has remained the same over the years: “We have never changed any prices at the Janan Luwuum dining hall for the last 10 years. A soda is UGX 1000 while a meal per day is UGX 10,000 and yet we provide five meals that is to say breakfast, break tea, lunch, evening tea, and supper.”
He agrees however some prices were adjusted at Pearl Classic (Guild Canteen), and on only three items including pork, goat meat, and fish because the cost of these items is high on the market. The problem with the quantity at that canteen, he says, is that they are currently utilising the larger silver pack since the regular one is in short supply and yet the medium one is also out of stock. As a result, when food is placed, customers feel cheated due to the size of the serving box.
In his defence,Isaac Beinomugisha the CEO at Canopy Grill says he never sent away anyone on the account of not having change, he rather points out that if he has the change he will serve you but in cases where he does not have, he will tell you. “ We have to control the inflow of money, someone may come with UGX 50,000 wanting something of UGX 500 or UGX 1000. The fact that we are inside here, it is hard to change.” He says.
He beseeched the students therefore, saying that this is a two way thing, “they should at least help us break down the money when they are coming.”
Some students do state that there are a few restaurants they are happy with. First-year student Demiano Madundu studying Journalism, Media, and Communication who paid UGX 1,000,000 for all meals at the Janan Luwum Dining Hall says he hasn’t had any problems thus far. “Their meals, place, and the customer care is okay and my meals like breakfast, lunch, and supper are got in time,” he says.
Another student shares that BOBICS is the best according to him due to its excellent food and outstanding customer service. “In contrast to other restaurants, you are treated like a customer,” he says. There were also generally positive comments over Pearl Classic.
However, for most of the other restaurants, the students state that the amount of money they are required to pay needs to be reflected in the quality, customer care and quantity of food provided.
