by Liz Daube
Staff Writer
The Salvation Army’s Jacksonville Women’s Auxiliary wasn’t happy with Levy Restaurants’ food service at the 2006 Celebrity Chefs Luncheon in the Prime Osborn Center, and the ladies are voicing those concerns to Mayor John Peyton.
In a recent letter to Peyton, the event’s organizers called Levy’s performance “ill-prepared,” “disappointing” and “sub-standard.” They added that “it may be necessary to search for a new venue that is not serviced by Levy.”
Maj. Karol Seiler, liaison between the Salvation Army and the Women’s Auxiliary, said that search isn’t easy. The other large City-owned venues — such as the Arena, the Times-Union Center and parts of Alltel Stadium — are all serviced by Levy, as well.
“Because of the size of our event, we can’t eliminate the Prime Osborn Center as a possibility,” said Seiler, adding that the Women’s Auxiliary is looking at the Fairgrounds for next year’s event, and they plan to make a decision “very soon.”
According to event organizers, Levy didn’t provide enough food. The food budget for the luncheon was based on 1,125 people attending. The Women’s Auxiliary contends that 1,070 actually attended the luncheon, so there should have been more than enough food.
The Women’s Auxiliary originally requested almost $5,000 off their Levy bill because seven of the 18 dishes served ran out before the event’s end. Specific problems listed in correspondence with Levy include: “Matthew Medure had to ask for his dish more than once,” “wrong utensils were given for serving” and “Maria Cole was not happy with the quality.”
Levy’s response to the complaints: a $2,500 price reduction for this year and a discount of $2 per person for next year’s event.
Bruce MacKenzie, general manager for Levy, responded by saying the requested amount was “too aggressive” for a variety of reasons. According to his letter, more people would have been served if “Celebrity Chefs were properly serving the items.” He also wrote that the scatter system, which allowed guests to move freely and not wait in lines, meant that “more food was consumed more quickly.”
In a follow-up letter, MacKenzie added that Salvation Army branches in cities he previously lived in enjoyed working with him, and they even honored him for some of his work.
“It hurts to have the (Salvation Army) organization in Jacksonville so aggressively criticizing us,” he wrote.
MacKenzie said Levy raised its food cost in an effort to save the Salvation Army money. He also said Levy employees spent personal time purchasing special food items for the event.
“This was done without complaint, but it did cost Levy Restaurants time, energy and money,” he said.