Starbucks to replace Dunkin’ in House dining shake-up

The House is set to introduce a variety of new food choices later this year, with construction set to commence this summer, as revealed in an email sent to staff by the House chief administrative officer. Sodexo, the current provider of House dining services since 2015, will be replaced by Metz Culinary Management starting in August, according to the email from CAO Catherine Szpindor. Szpindor mentioned in the email that Metz, a family-owned business with a strong background in the food service industry, will enhance each location with new food options and improved technology integration to enhance service efficiency. Additionally, Metz will introduce pop-up food stations featuring dishes from local Washington, D.C. restaurants.

These changes will result in a significant overhaul of the existing House food offerings. For instance, CHA Street Food, a Virginia-based Pakistani eatery, will replace Steak ’n Shake in the Rayburn cafeteria. Meanwhile, PX Tacos and Java House, both local businesses from D.C., will operate in the current Rayburn Common Grounds area. In the Cannon building, Panera Bread will take the place of Au Bon Pain, and a coffee cart in the building’s basement will be managed by the Black Crown Collective. Other changes include the replacement of Subway by Jimmy John’s in Rayburn, the transformation of Longworth Dunkin’ into a Starbucks, and the takeover of Jamba Juice by Freshens.

Despite mixed reactions from the congressional workforce that relies on these dining options, the changes reflect the results of an extensive evaluation of House food services and feedback received from an anonymous food survey conducted among staff. As Sodexo’s contract with the CAO was up for renewal this year, Trade Center Management Associates will now handle in-house catering, and Monumental Vending Inc. will manage all campus micro-store locations. While some expressed nostalgia for the outgoing vendors like Dunkin’, others welcomed the shift towards new food options and better worker treatment.