Since the start of the Spring 2019 semester, Snack Bar has gone under new management. After previous Department Manager of Snack Bar Chad Link graduated, Kariem Ali has taken the role of Department Manager. There is some controversy in his new management style, but Ali still has some good ideas for the future of his department.
Ali hopes to improve Snack Bar in various ways. He wants to add “better food options,” improve the menu above the counter to include food items Snack Bar has recently obtained, add decals to the tables of Snack Bar to make the department more school-themed and even change the stereo system so Snack Bar employees can listen to their own music that is not Ding’s. Ali stated that he is currently in the process of speaking with General Manager for Sodexo Thomas Scyoc about these changes and hopes to get them implemented as soon as possible.
As it currently stands, Ali is continuing to make positive changes for Snack Bar workers and even customers. According to Snack Bar’s Assistant Manager of Discipline and Inventory Karlee Herman, Ali “listens to the staff. We asked for new shirts, he got us new shirts. He got us water bottles to try to reduce the amount of styrofoam cups we use. We asked for a new broom and he got us a new broom.” There are no complaints from Herman, at least.
On the other end, former Assistant Manager of Discipline and Inventory—now a Resident Assistant for Butler Hall—Dean Odle had some complaints about Ali’s new management, and according to him, it was part of the reason he wanted to leave. “Originally it was only because I wanted to be a RA, but I definitely didn’t want to be in Snack Bar with Kariem . . . He made a lot of hardcore executive decisions without much thought of how it affected people.” While Odle has these complaints about his former employer, Odle does recognize Ali has done some good for the future of the department. However, when speaking about his demotion, Odle said, “I was demoted; it was a day’s notice. He likes to say he gave me a notice,” but Ali told him that Odle was not cleaning the fryers correctly. With no instruction from Ali on the correct method, Odle continued to do what he was originally taught and Ali demoted him. Other crew heads of Snack Bar were asked for interview, but denied it due to personal reasons.
While Ali has sparked a bit of controversy, as there are some workers that believe Odle was demoted for the wrong reason, Ali believes he is doing his best to provide a good work environment for his employees. He hopes to continue his management at Snack Bar, having already turned in his application for next semester.