Following an article from the ABH Press criticizing the lack of regulations among food vendors and shop owners in ABH and further complaints by Brownites at the account of stewardship, a meeting was scheduled between Alexander Brown Hall Executives and food vendors in the cafeteria. The meeting, which was held on Saturday, 17th of April, 2022 also had some Brownites in attendance to discuss important matters. The food vendors at the meeting were the owners of Prestige, T and K (Fanawole), and SpicyBites.
The following agreements were reached:
Transfers and Charges.
Prestige will continue to take transfers and confirm transactions without charges.
Spicy Bites agreed that there will be no charges anymore, however confirmation of payment by the owner (alert/email is seen) confirms the order. Order will be handed over to Brownites purchasing only after payment is confirmed.
Fanawole also agreed that there would be no transfer charges anymore, however, Brownites who will be making transfers have to wait till transactions are confirmed (till the alert is seen). Also, if a person chooses to pay via POS transactions less than ₦1000 will carry a charge of ₦10, while transactions from ₦1000 to ₦2000 will carry a charge of ₦20, and a further ₦10 charge for any ₦1000 increase.
Regulation of Prices
Carbonated drinks or drinks in PET bottles will be sold at ₦150. However, the prices of other drinks will be controlled competitively because of a difference in wholesale purchase prices.
Also, eggs at Fanawole will be sold at ₦100 while eggs at Prestige will go for ₦80. The reason given for this is the difference in the prices at which they get these eggs.
The stew problem at Prestige was said to be caused by the cost of buying tomatoes and pepper. Also, the sale of plantains at 3 for ₦50 was because plantain was brought in from the Prestige branch outside ABH where it is sold at that price. Hence, not a usual occurrence. As regards Egusi, it was said that this usually happens later in the day when it is noticed that there’s still pounded yam, while the quantity of Egusi is greatly reduced.
The owner of SpicyBites mentioned that there is a ₦50 in the prices of Indomie and Spaghetti.
Plates and Water at Prestige
It was mentioned that the strike by porters has affected the supply of water. The shortage of staff has also made fetching at F block difficult as the same person that serves sometimes has to wash the plates too. They were however encouraged to get water from F block to ensure plates are available.
Closing by 9pm at Prestige
This is because of the Ramadan period, coupled with the shortage of staff and water problems. While no promises were made, they pleaded that Brownites bear with them till the end of the fasting period.
Rudeness of Staff
The owner of Prestige mentioned that while they promise to continue to train and retrain their staff, they pleaded with Brownites to be patient with them.
Cleanliness
It was stressed that extra measures be put in place to ensure a high standard of hygiene.
Also, the issue of houseflies in the cafeteria, especially at Fanawole, was raised. It was said that the reason for this was the dumpsite. They are however hoping to put measures in place, like the use of nets around open areas and the use of mosquito repellents which have been said to be helpful.
While Brownites with any complaints were encouraged by cafeteria owners to approach them, with these resolutions reached, we hope that things only get better from here. Also, that proper channels of communication exist if for any reason there has to be a change in prices.
