Highlights
- SDH Education West LLC, doing business as Sodexo, filed a WARN notice for 489 Phoenix layoffs on May 14, 2026.
- Grand Canyon University awarded its dining, retail, catering, and athletics hospitality contract to Aramark after a competitive bid.
- Sodexo's contract expires July 14; Aramark has held on-campus hiring sessions for affected Sodexo workers.
- The contract covers full-time employees and part-time student workers at GCU's main Phoenix campus.
SDH Education West LLC, doing business as Sodexo, will cut 489 workers at Grand Canyon University's Phoenix campus after losing its dining contract to Aramark (NYSE: ARMK) in a competitive bid, according to a WARN filing with the Arizona Department of Economic Security dated May 14.
GCU awarded Aramark the contract to run campus dining, retail, catering, and athletics-related hospitality programs. Sodexo's existing contract expires July 14. The Phoenix Business Journal and ABC15 both reported the contract change earlier this week.
Aramark has already held at least one on-campus meeting with affected Sodexo employees and has additional sessions scheduled. GCU spokesman Bob Romantic said Aramark has expressed intent to hire both full-time and part-time student workers currently employed by Sodexo. "Aramark has already expressed their intent to hire employees from Sodexo who are currently employed on GCU's campus — both full-time and part-time student workers — and we are confident in their commitment to ensuring a smooth transition for those affected," Romantic said.
Who filed the layoff notice?
SDH Education West LLC, the Sodexo subsidiary operating the GCU account, filed the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification with Arizona officials on May 14. The filing covers 489 workers at GCU's main campus in Phoenix.
Aramark's hiring timeline for the transition will become clearer as the July 14 contract expiration approaches.
Sources
Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.
- ktar.com retrieved 23/05/2026 12:24
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 23/05/2026 12:24. Every claim traces to a source.
