Aramark to Provide a Variety of Concession Services in Yosemite National Park

Today, the National Park Service signed a concession contract with Yosemite Hospitality, LLC, a subsidiary of Aramark, to provide concession services within Yosemite National Park. The 15-year contract, the largest single contract in the National Park Service, will begin on March 1, 2016. The current concessioner, DNC Parks & Resorts at Yosemite, Inc., a subsidiary of Delaware North Co., has held its contract since 1993.

“The National Park Service looks forward to a successful relationship with Yosemite Hospitality,” stated Yosemite National Park Superintendent Don Neubacher.

As the new concessioner, Yosemite Hospitality will continue to provide visitor services at Yosemite National Park iconic locations. Millions of visitors will continue to enjoy services at historic locations including The Ahwahnee, Curry Village, Wawona, and Yosemite Lodge. The contract includes the operation of 17 retail locations, 12 lodging properties, and 14 food and beverage service locations. In 2014, the current contract gross receipts were $146 million.

Highlights of the contract include:

• Yosemite Hospitality will pay a franchise fee of 11.75% of gross receipts, 80% of which will directly support improvements to visitor facilities and park operations. This was 3.75% higher than the minimum franchise fee required in the prospectus of 8.0% of gross receipts.
• Popular visitor services such as lodging and food service will continue at The Ahwahnee, Glacier Point, Yosemite Lodge, Wawona, Tuolumne Meadows Lodge, High Sierra Camps, and Curry Village. In addition, activities such as ice skating, skiing, bicycle rentals, shuttle service, and raft rentals will continue to be authorized for park visitors under the new contract. Horseback rides will be available in the Wawona area. The Yosemite Mountaineering School will continue at Badger Pass, Curry Village and Tuolumne Meadows.
• Major improvements will be made to food and beverage service at Degnan’s Deli and Loft, Yosemite Lodge Food Court, and the Curry Village food service facilities. These improvements will be made by Yosemite Hospitality at no cost to the National Park Service. In addition, enhanced menus embracing healthy food options will be implemented at all locations.
• Yosemite Hospitality will reduce the concession footprint of facilities and operations within Yosemite Valley. Operational efficiencies gained from proposed improvements will enable Yosemite Hospitality to reduce the footprint associated with concessioner activities.
• Yosemite Hospitality will implement major conservation activities to reduce water, electricity, and fuel use in shuttle systems, lodging, employee housing, and food outlets. Water and energy saving fixtures will be installed, or upgraded as needed, throughout lodging and employee housing areas. The park concession facilities will become a model of sustainability and enhance resource protection.
• Significant investments will be made in upgrading room furniture and amenities in lodging at The Ahwahnee, Curry Village, and Wawona.

“We are excited to be working with the National Park Service to create great new memories for Yosemite’s many enthusiasts who hold the park so near and dear to their hearts and we look forward to introducing innovative programs and experiences that shape the legacy of this amazing and iconic Park,” said Bruce W. Fears, president of Aramark’s Leisure division. “We are also looking forward to working with the community and developing partnerships with local businesses. Aramark has always had strong ties with the communities in which we live and work and we are eager to do the same here in Yosemite.”

Aramark, Delaware North, and the National Park Service are currently working together on the transition of operations to prepare for the contract turnover on March 1, 2016. Aramark (NYSE:ARMK) realized gross revenues of $14.8 billion in fiscal year 2014, employing more than 270,000 employees in 21 countries. Aramark currently holds eight NPS contracts in Lake Mead, Mesa Verde, Glen Canyon, Olympic (3 contracts), Denali, and Glacier Bay.

“The park would like to express its gratitude to Delaware North for providing quality visitor services at Yosemite National Park for the last 22 years,” stated Yosemite National Park Superintendent Don Neubacher.

Yosemite National Park celebrated its 125th Anniversary this year. The park welcomes over four million visitors from all over the world each year. Yosemite National Park is home to Yosemite Falls, the tallest waterfall in North America, and iconic rock formations such as Half Dome and El Capitan. The park also features approximately 90 different species of mammals and over 1500 species of flowering plants.

I wonder what is happening with the issue of DNC wanting to keep the names unless they are paid for them.

from what i've been reading about Aramark, people who have used their food services say it is awful, that they are shocked that the National Forest Service even considered them. i've never had any dealings one way or another, but the reviews i've read are not favorable... do what i do... brown bag it. lol

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forrestranger

from what i've been reading about Aramark, people who have used their food services say it is awful, that they are shocked that the National Forest Service even considered them. i've never had any dealings one way or another, but the reviews i've read are not favorable... do what i do... brown bag it. lol

Don't worry, our national forest service (the U.S. Forest Service) didn't consider, let alone, select them. But the National Park Service did.

My main dealing with Aramark has been at the SAP Center in San Jose (the home arena of the San Jose Sharks). At the SAP Center their food and service has been fine (far better tasting food than the food served by Centerplate at the nearby Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara). In fact, of the four concessionaires that service the Bay Area's major sports venues (Centerplate at Levi's Stadium and AT&T Park, Levy Restaurants at the Oracle Arena, Ovations Food Services at O.co Coliseum, and Aramark at the SAP Center), Aramark has offered the most reasonably priced and most consistently good tasting food of the four.

So I'm going to be keeping an open mind in regards to Aramark being the new concessionaire at Yosemite National Park.

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Curry pizza shall be my first point of reference....



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/09/2015 08:01AM by troutwild.

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troutwild
Curry pizza shall be my first point of reference....

FWIW, we spent a couple nights at Tuolumne Lodge last month and got into a conversation with one of the long-time staffers in the dining room. He said that, at least up there, food quality had everything to do with who the local manager (i.e., the individual) was. He said that the food this year has been consistently very good (it certainly was the nights we were there) but that last year (different manager), the food was pretty awful.

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DavidK42
FWIW, we spent a couple nights at Tuolumne Lodge last month and got into a conversation with one of the long-time staffers in the dining room. He said that, at least up there, food quality had everything to do with who the local manager (i.e., the individual) was. He said that the food this year has been consistently very good (it certainly was the nights we were there) but that last year (different manager), the food was pretty awful.

Interesting. I was at the Tuolumne Lodge twice last year and once this year. I didn't notice much difference in the quality of food served for breakfast or dinner. What I did notice was this year's dinner menu was far more limited it its offering than in years past. And I would think it's the head chef in the kitchen that would make most of the difference in terms of the quality of the food served, rather than the general manager (unless the general manager and the head chef is one and the same at the Tuolumne Meadows Lodge ).

It's possible the manager sets the budget that the head chef has to work with?

The price of food is minimal and the fare served the the TM Lodge, even in the better years, is always quite basic – nothing ever that elaborate.

Maybe it's because who the manager hires as the head cook/chef and maybe with the number of staff the manager hires for the kitchen and the dinning room too.

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The release made no mention about pricing. Can we look forward to substantial food and lodging increases?

Pizza may be a great indicator for some -

Myself, (if anyone Aramark is reading this?) - Please bring back the Curry buffet breakfast...one price.
When Delaware North changed that long-offered service to their money-grubbing ala carte protocol - ($4 for a stack of cold pancakes?) - that's when I lost all respect.

Maybe it is the age-old conundrum...Money vs. tradition.