Richard Bacigalupi wanted a cup of coffee. Esteban Reyes was looking for a hamburger. Michelle Pelvit wanted a cup of hot soup to warm her up.
Instead of lining up in the ferry’s galley to get some stove-hot food, ferry riders had to fill up on whatever they could find in a vending machine Thursday on the Mukilteo-Clinton run.
Food service on all ferries in the state’s system stopped on New Year’s Day because of a contract dispute between the ferry system and its food service concessionaire, Sodexho USA. A new food provider won’t be in place until the end of March, at the earliest.
That means vending machines are now the only way for riders to get something to eat on a ferry, something that didn’t sit well with many of those who took a ferry on New Year’s Day.
"I tried to get coffee with cream," Bacigalupi said holding out a cup he had just pulled out of a vending machine. "Instead I got hot water with cream."
Bacigalupi works out of his home in Langley but said he has to use the ferries to go to meetings in Seattle at least three times a week.
"I come up here (to the galley) to get Starbucks every day," he said. "I would just get breakfast on the way. We miss (the food service) and want it to come back."
Instead of a hamburger, Reyes had to settle for candy bar, a Twix, to be exact.
"I’m like, ah, man, that sucks," the 14-year-old said when he came upon an empty galley while ferrying over to Whidbey Island on Thursday to visit his aunt. "I was about to go in there and buy something. I probably would have gotten a hamburger."
Pelvit and boyfriend Thomas Gomez were hoping for hot soup to warm them up for their visit to Whidbey Island, but had to settle for machine coffee and a cookie, which they shared.
"There’s nothing like a cup of hot soup to tide you over, especially on a cold day," Gomez said.
Ferry commuter Craig Cyr railed on the state for allowing the food service to stop, saying the agency should be investigated by the Legislature.
"It’s unbelievable," he said. "Every morning I had my tea and an occasional sandwich. I can’t believe the new CEO of the ferry system can look at himself in the mirror. It’s amazing."
Ferry system officials said they had tried to work out a temporary deal to keep Sodexho in place, but said it could not subsidize the food service industry. Officials from the concessionaire said they gave as much as they could, but they had to stop service because they were losing money.
A handful of workers from the union that represents 140 food service workers that were laid-off on New Year’s Eve picketed the ferry terminal on Thursday, and were warmly supported by many riders.
"We’re getting tremendous feedback from riders," said Stuart Downer, a business agent for the Inlandboatment’s Union, which represents the now unemployed workers. "Hopefully this will make (the state) realize how important this service is, and will get these galleys open to the public."
The state is seeking a new vendor for the 500 ferry trips it runs each day. It expects to select one or a combination of several vendors by mid-February and hopes that food service will return by the end of March.
Reporter Lukas Velush: 425-339-3449 or lvelush@heraldnet.com.
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