Memorandum of Understanding for Flaming Eggplant Café Student Initiative

The Flaming Eggplant’s mission, goals, and scope as of fall 2007 include:

Mission: “The Flaming Eggplant seeks to nourish people with healthy ingredients, nurture local economy with our business, and break social boundaries to help sustain a unified community.”

Goals: “To use seasonal recipes based on food that is locally available and organically grown [and] to provide more enjoyable, nutritional, tasty, and ecologically sound food to T.E.S.C.”

Scope: Operate a student-run café via a custom-designed food trailer in Red Square and a prep kitchen in CAB 109 from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Monday through Friday beginning in March or April 2008. The hours of operation may expand in the future. The Café will relocate to a designated space in the CAB following the renovation.

In light of the substantial costs and risks associated with this initiative the College and Café have identified stipulations described below within which the Café may operate. The College will provide qualified professional advising to the student leaders of the Café, during start-up and early establishment, in an effort to support the Café’s success in meeting the stated expectations. In the future, as it is deemed viable and necessary by the Board of Advisors, funding for advisors’ time, a dedicated full-time manager, and the supervision of the manager must be identified by the Flaming Eggplant.

The Vice President for Student Affairs and the Vice President for Finance and Administration, as College representatives, reserve the right and responsibility to temporarily pause or permanently halt operations of the Café at any time. The Board should be consulted when the College is considering restricting operations. The Board of Advisors also has the responsibility to pause or halt operations if it deems it necessary. Cause for temporarily or permanently halting operations includes, but is not limited to, failure to adhere to one or more stipulations identified in this memorandum.

Stipulations for the Café to operate are as follows:

BOARD OF ADVISORS

The Flaming Eggplant must, in partnership with the Vice Presidents, establish a Board of Advisors to provide oversight for the Café. The Board should meet twice per quarter when the Café is in operation. The Board should be composed of the following:

? two advisors appointed by the Vice Presidents;

? one faculty and one staff identified by the Flaming Eggplant leadership; and

? five student representatives of the Café.

The Flaming Eggplant is responsible for convening the Board.

APPROVALS

? The Campus Land Use Committee (CLUC) approves the use of the location. The exterior of the Café facilities must be consistently maintained to the satisfaction of the CLUC.

? The Space Management Committee approves the use of space for storage and a prep kitchen in the CAB.

? The food service provider and the College approve an exception to the Exclusive Rights clause of the contract with the College’s food service provider. As per the College’s contract, Aramark has exclusive access to provide on-campus catering services and to provide meal plan packages.

? The Café must obtain and maintain an Operating Permit from Thurston County Public Health and Social Services Department. The Café must demonstrate that it can consistently meet county health codes and pass impromptu county health department visits. Copies of health inspection reports must be submitted to the Adviser within 24 hours of receipt.

? Adviser approves Business Plan including but not limited to cost and revenue projections, staffing model, and planned equipment purchases.

? Adviser approves staff job descriptions

? Business Services approves all cash handling policies.

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

? All funds collected by the Café will be deposited into the appropriate College accounts on a daily basis and will be handled according to Business Services’ approved policies.

? Sales revenue and labor costs must be documented daily and these plus the cost of sales must be submitted weekly to the Adviser.

? Submit monthly profit/lost statements to the Adviser by third day of the following month.

? The S&A Board and by relationship the Café, is responsible for the fiscal integrity of the Café. The S&A Board must approve all capital expenditures related to the operation, and is ultimately responsible for all revenues. The College recognizes the opportunity of the Café to pursue alternate funding sources.

GENERAL

Only enrolled students may engage in leadership of the Flaming Eggplant Initiative.

The College recognizes that the Café meets a need for food alternatives on campus. As such, the Café may be come a valuable resource of the Evergreen community, particularly during the CAB renovation.

The College and the Advisory Board reserve the right to request modification of this memorandum at any time if the changes that may result will be implemented at least one month after the request. Any change in the scope of operations or substantial adjustment to the agreements outlined in the memorandum requires a revised memo with all of the requisite signatures.