Campus Dining Today | Winter 2013

WINTER 2013

C O L L A B O R AT I O N F O R

Change

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T H E N AT I O N A L A S S O C I AT I O N O F C O L L E G E & U N I V E R S I T Y F O O D S E R V I C E S

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• Nutritionists on Campus •N ACUFS Awards & Contests • Foodservice Management Institute ...and much more!

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The biannual magazine of the National Association of College & University Food Services

Advertising Information and Article Submission Advertising of a product or service in this publication does not imply endorsement. Advertisers assume responsibility and liability for the content of any advertising.

The National Association of College & University Food Services is exempt from any liability resulting from publication of articles. Editorial mention of commercial interests is intended entirely as an information service to readers and should not be construed as an endorsement, actual or implied, by NACUFS. The opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the official opinions of NACUFS. The number of mailings sent to each member institution is based on annual dues classification. There is an $85 charge for all additional mailings. An annual subscription to Campus Dining Today® is $60 for members and $75 for nonmembers. ©2013 The National Association of College & University Food Services.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication shall be reproduced, stored in a retrievable system, or transmitted in any form, by any means, which includes but is not limited to, electronic, mechanical photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written consent of NACUFS.

Editor in Chief Contributing Editor

Associate Editor

Rachel A. Warner Donna Boss Jennifer Trayan

Editorial Board Jennifer Gilmore, North Carolina State University Christina Voyles, University of Montana Lisa Snider, Foodservice Rewards Rachel A. Warner, NACUFS

NACUFS BOARD OF DIRECTORS President

Mark LoParco, University of Montana

President-Elect

Zia Ahmed, The Ohio State University

Past President

Timothy Dietzler, Villanova University

Secretary/Treasurer

Rich Neumann, Ohio University

At-Large Director

Terry Waltersdorf, Faith Baptist Bible College

Northeast Region President

Mike Kmec, Connecticut College

Mid-Atlantic Region President

Louis Logan, Millersville University

Midwest Region President

Greg Minner, Purdue University

Southern Region President

Susan Van Gigch, University of Georgia

Continental Region President

Chris Justice, Brigham Young University

Pacific Region President

Peter Curry, University of California–Santa Cruz

2014 National Conference Chair Sr. Maureen Schrimpe, University of Maryland Industry Advisory Council Chair Rob Geile, Hobart Guest Director

Christine Berro, Michigan Library Association

Executive Director

Gretchen Couraud, NACUFS

For advertising information, email advertising@nacufs.org or call (517) 332-2494.

CORRECTIONS: Campus Dining Today strives to provide accurate journalism and fair reporting. It is our policy to correct substantive errors of fact. If you think we may have published incorrect information, please call (517) 332-2494 or email news@nacufs.org.

in this issue

F E AT U R E S

COVER STORY

40 2013 NACUFS National Conference Recap

44 Recognizing Excellence in Campus Dining NACUFS honors the dining programs and individuals that have helped advance the industry and the association.

58 Long-Distance Collaboration for Change A combination of serendipity, initiative, and collaboration leads to success at the American University in Bulgaria.

64 A Brand New Image

Research and communication help ensure a smooth rebranding of the University of Montana’s dining operations.

C O L L A B O R AT I O N FOR

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58

Change

ON THE COVER: The balcony at the new student center at the American University in Bulgaria.

WINTER 2013

25 D E PA R T M E N T S 6 From the Editor

58

8 Leadership Agenda

10 Executive Director’s Perspective

12 Campus Dining by Design

Creativity and innovation shine in these featured campus dining renovations.

24 What’s Hot on Campus

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Colleges and universities are making their mark in unique ways.

36 Wellness and Nutrition

NACUFS Nutrition Committee Chair Kathy Egan shares why every campus dining department needs a nutrition professional on staff.

67 NACUFS Education: Preparing

Foodservice Professionals for Change

The NACUFS Foodservice Management Institute offers practical education that can prepare dining professionals for the unexpected.

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69 NACUFS Calendar

Mark your calendar for upcoming deadlines and professional development programs.

F R O M

T H E

E D I TO R

FROM

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the editor

T

he very concept of change often inspires mixed feelings: anxiety, excitement, panic, motivation, confusion, resolve. Without a doubt, change can be scary. But it is also necessary, and when viewed through the lens of opportunity, change can be healthy and crucial to achieving success.

In one way or another, we all affect change, either as an active participant or passive observer. But to effect change and actually bring about a desired outcome is different. A challenge leaders often face is learning to effect change without raising fear and negative emotions.

When I joined the NACUFS staff four years ago, I was pretty motivated to make a lot of changes. I felt that the brand needed to be refreshed, I wanted to redesign the website, I wanted to increase our media outreach—and I RACHEL A. WARNER wanted it all to happen immediately. What I quickly realized was that I couldn’t Editor effectively accomplish any changes with a “right now” attitude. I needed to Campus Dining Today step back, develop a plan, and bring together a cross-functional team that rwarner@nacufs.org would be able to provide the critical insight and expertise needed to bring the NACUFS brand to the next level. The changes took longer than I initially wanted, we made some mistakes along the way, and the journey still isn’t over, but in the end, a little patience has proven invaluable to getting buy-in from key stakeholders.

While there is caution in moving too quickly, there is also danger in moving too slowly (or not at all). Momentum is a very powerful tool in generating excitement around a proposed change. The trick is to find the balance between moving forward at a pace that will capitalize on that momentum while taking the time to honor the present and understand what not to change.

These concepts will be important as the association explores opportunities for change over the coming year. In the following pages, President Mark LoParco and Executive Director Gretchen Couraud share the process NACUFS leadership is going through to set up the association for a successful future—a future that will inevitably require some changes in the way we think and do business.

“Without a doubt, change can be scary. But it is also necessary and when viewed through the lens of opportunity, change can be healthy and crucial to achieving success.”

In this issue of Campus Dining Today, two case studies demonstrate very different scenarios related to effecting change on campus. But what they have in common is that the changes were successful due to effective communication, the establishment of feedback loops for various audiences, and an overall willingness from those involved to collaborate toward a common goal.

No one person has the right answer. No one person can effect change on his or her own. Successful change requires the efforts of different people with diverse talents and varied ideas. The good news is that when the right pieces fall into place, fear dissipates and change is viewed as inspirational and motivational. u

Rachel A. Warner

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LEADERSHIP L E A D E R S H I P

AG E N DA

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agenda

he issues facing NACUFS certainly aren’t new, but I believe they are significantly amplified by the ever-changing needs of today’s college and university landscape. We wouldn’t survive on our campuses if we chose to continue doing business the way we did 10 years ago.

Likewise, we shouldn’t presume that our beloved NACUFS can do business the way we have for decades and continue to effectively serve our members.

MARK LOPARCO

NACUFS President mark.loparco@mso.umt.edu

For example, one of my initiatives is to address the challenge of declining membership as this impacts us all. If we continue on the same path, we’ll get the same results—continued decline in membership. But reversing “If changes are proposed, know the downward trend in membership won’t happen overnight or by accident. that those recommendations Membership recruitment and retention efforts will be strategic, targeted, and will be the result of directly tied to the NACUFS mission.

Through the strategic planning and governance review processes currently underway, we will spend between now and early July assessing and affirming who we are, who our customer is, why we exist, and whose needs we will meet. The first critical measurable outcome was for the board come to consensus regarding the NACUFS mission, a discussion that began in earnest after the July board meeting.

introspective, conscientious, respectful conversation from people who care about NACUFS and its future.”

The Strategic Planning Committee (SPC), chaired by Lisa Wandel, met with the board in April, July, and November. The SPC will continue working with our consultant, Michael Gallery, and the board to develop the goals that will be contained in the new strategic plan to be presented in July 2014. The Governance Work Group is a sub-group of the SPC chaired by Cam Schauf, and they kicked off their work with a face-to-face meeting in November. In the context of change, the work of these groups is critical to NACUFS’ future, and we all have a vested interest in the outcome of their discoveries and resultant recommendations.

It is true that NACUFS is at a historic point in our association’s future. Our third executive director and the sun-setting of our current strategic plan has created the perfect time for our association leaders to engage in thoughtful, comprehensive evaluation of “everything NACUFS”—a process that President-Elect Zia Ahmed, Past President Tim Dietzler, and I have now learned will clearly take more than one presidential term to complete.

We all want NACUFS to be an association with clarity of purpose known throughout the industry; we’re not there yet. We want our actions, services, and products to achieve our strategically identified goals, objectives, and desired outcomes; we’re not there yet. To get there will require NACUFS to change what we do and how we do it. However, we cannot simply change for the sake of change. Rather, our change needs to be planned through a strategic and data-driven process. The Board has seen “The Elephant,” and we know the questions that must be asked and answered. We have the resources aligned and the hard work has begun. If changes are proposed, know that those recommendations will be the result of introspective, conscientious, respectful conversation from people who care about NACUFS and its future. u

Mark LoParco

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EXEC. DIRECTOR’S D I R E C TO R

perspective

C

E X E C U T I V E

hange is inevitable. Whether it’s in our personal lives, our work, or the world, the pace of change is accelerating. Most people and organizations react to change; people and organizations that anticipate and adapt to change the fastest have a competitive advantage. Change isn’t easy, but those who refuse to change are left behind.

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NACUFS needs to change for three reasons. First, our members are adapting to major changes on college campuses and NACUFS needs to be able to respond to those changing dynamics to better serve our membership. I’ve been impressed by how quickly dining services responds to heightened student demands, cuts in funding, and the effects of globalization and technology.

GRETCHEN COURAUD

NACUFS Executive Director gcouraud@nacufs.org

Second, NACUFS is experiencing a decline in membership. This means the board of directors needs to spend time on clearly defining our customers, their needs, and our value proposition. I am happy to report that we have already taken action in this area by hiring a director of membership development and we will be dedicating additional resources to this critical area.

Third, NACUFS is not governed to react quickly to change. There are wonderful aspects of our culture and how we operate, such as volunteerism and passion for the organization. But certain aspects of our bylaws, policies, and procedures hinder our ability to focus leadership’s attention on the future, manage NACUFS systemically, and set priorities to drive the association’s forward.

“The quality of our educational offerings, products, and services will be even higher

as we better understand our President Mark LoParco has mapped out his priorities which will lead us in the change process. We will customer and their needs.” be using 7 Measures of Success, What Remarkable Associations Do That Others Don’t, as a guidepost for our work ahead this year. Remarkable associations follow the principles outlined in 7 Measures of Success including: A Customer Service Culture; Alignment of Products and Services with Mission; Data-driven Strategies; Dialogue and Engagement; CEO as a Broker of Ideas; Organizational Adaptability; and Alliance Building. These principles will help guide the board, governance work group, staff, and committees as we develop the strategic plan and evaluate governance.

The good news is that NACUFS is already strong. But if we are willing to change, NACUFS will articulate a clearer value proposition for our institutional and industry members, resulting in an increase in membership. The board will focus more on the future and less on procedures. The quality of our educational offerings, products, and services will be even higher as we better understand our customer and their needs. Committees will receive the support they need to thrive from an empowered staff.

And dining services professionals will receive the benefits they need so that they can continue to adapt to the rapidly changing environment on each of their campuses. u

Gretchen Couraud

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by design

CAMPUS DINING MRS. E’S DINING CENTER at the University of Kansas

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Photos by Michael Spillers

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T

he largest residential dining facility on the University of Kansas campus was long overdue for a refresh. After 20 years in operation, Ekdahl Dining Center needed new equipment and a new ambiance. Since the operation also had to be brought up to modern-day codes, a major renovation seemed appropriate.

The dining center is affectionately known as Mrs. E’s, named after Lenoir Ekdahl, the university’s first foodservice director for residential dining, who retired in 1989 after 33 years of service on campus. Now 95 years old, she was present to cut the ribbon at the grand re-opening on September 27.

The KU design team, headed by Nona Golledge, director of KU dining services, and Sheryl Kidwell, LD, assistant director/residential (both of whom were hired by Ekdahl), worked with architects and consultants to plan and complete a $5 million, 16,190 square foot facility to serve approximately 3,500 students daily. Students live in five residence halls on Daisy Hill, as well as in nearby apartment buildings.

Challenged by a short, 78-day timeline to renovate, dining took possession of the operation on August 5 and served the first meal August 19. “I don’t recommend this time schedule, but it can be done if the i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed prior to the start of construction,” says Golledge.

Lenoir’s Classics and Global Cuisine offer customers a taste of comfort and ethnic cuisine.

Just one year earlier, in August 2012, dining services celebrated the opening of a $5 million renovation of North College Café, a residential facility.

C RE ATING A COMFORTA BLE E N V IR ON M E N T

“We wanted to create an environment where students would feel at home whether they come to Mrs. E’s for a meal, studying, or relaxing,” Golledge says. “Also, we wanted to open up the dining court for better traffic flow. The previous service area had a salad bar, condiment area, and a cereal bar in the middle of the space, which created a bottleneck at several concepts.”

“The counters in the old facility were set up to run backwards,” says Terry Pellegrino, FCSI, one of the consultants who worked on the project. “Plates were all on the far side of the entrance, and with the salad bar right in the middle, students couldn’t cross from one counter to another.” The solution was to open up the food court, move the salad bar to one side of the servery and allow enough space in between stations so customers can easily move throughout the space.

Working within the existing footprint was a challenge. The back-of-house kitchen and the dishroom, which had been renovated five years ago, remained intact. In addition, the rectangular space had low beams.

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“We wanted to create an environment where students would feel at home whether they come to Mrs. E’s for a meal, studying, or relaxing,” Golledge says.

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Floor-to-ceiling windows contribute to energy efficiency and provide scenic views of campus.

MYR IAD FOOD STAT ION S

The food court contains 11 stations and beverage areas, each with their own food-themed identity but similar in interior décor. To brighten up the space, hints of campus colors—bright blue, red, and yellow—are placed throughout the space. Blue glass tile highlights the cooking platforms. The pizza oven is surrounded by oxidized copper ceramic tile. Signage letters appear to be carved out of aluminum that resembles copper.

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New serving equipment—such as flat tops holding decorative serving pans, a wok, rice cookers, stone hearth pizza oven, grill, charbroiler, and a smoker for barbecue menu items—allow staff to prepare a wide variety of menu items, many of which are cooked to order.

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One of the concepts, KYou Zone, is an allergy-friendly, self-contained unit at which chefs cook all foods for the station and wash all dishes and utensils in an undercounter dishwasher. “We had to purchase a locked cage for supplies and utensils, all of which have lavender handles to prevent crosscontamination,” Golledge says. On Monday nights, the station features a Kosher meal. A rabbi comes in to supervise and a kosher-certified cook prepares the food here.

L I G H T AND VARIAT ION IN SE AT IN G A R E AS

“Another main challenge was balancing out how much square footage to use for the food court and how much for the dining space,” Golledge says. In order to accommodate all the stations in the servery, the dining room seating was cut back from 700 to 612. “The design solution is based on ethnographic research that uncovered an evolution of density over the course of the day, from individual early morning seating close to the servery, to small groups at lunch, to large social groups in the evenings,” says architect Jane Huesemann. “This changing dynamic informed the transformation of the facility, which included increasing internal visibility for ‘friend finding’ and developing distinct characteristics within the seating zones. Capitalizing on daylight and views to the campus and distant landscape were key components in the final solution.”

RECOMMENDAT IONS FOR SU CC E SS

After the intense immersion in the renovation process, Golledge offers advice to others: Have as much done before construction as possible; make sure the menu is completed, recipes are tested and staff is well informed about the menu; do a lot of pre-training; and get staff excited about the new facility. In addition, she recommends the leadership staff work collaboratively with the concept teams to visualize the flow of food, and how it is presented, and served.

“In addition, key staff positions should be filled before opening,” Golledge continues. “Students don’t apply for jobs before they get here, so staff must fill in. Our staff was exhausted as a result of our timeline, but I’m so proud of them. They are now well-rested and things are flowing well.” u

At the entrance to Mrs. E’s, the “E” in the logo design, which looks like a guitar pic, appears in each station’s name.

Average Check: Depending on the meal plan and utilization of the plan, the average cost per meal is $5.50 to $8.35.

Annual Sales: Mrs. E’s, $6.5 million; KU Dining, $20.5 million Staff: Mrs. E’s, 46 Full time, including all supervisors and managers, and 125 part-time; 600 total for KU Dining, including 150 FTEs; 450 part time Seats: 612 Key Players: Director of KU Dining Services: Nona Golledge Architects: Clark/Huesemann, Lawrence, Kan.; Jane Huesemann, AIA, LEEDap bd+c, principal Foodservice Consultants: Robert Rippe Associates Inc., Minnetonka, Minn.; Terry Pellegrino, FCSI, principal, John Dunne, senior project manager, and Monica Thesing, equipment specialist Contractor: Mar Lan Construction, LLC Foodservice Equipment Dealer: Servco, St. Louis, Mo.

KYou Zone: An allergy-friendly, selfcontained concept catering to students with dietary needs such as gluten free, vegetarian, kosher, and Halal.

Wood finishes and procelain tile flooring bring a sleek ambiance to the servery. Wide aisles between stations allow customers to circulate easily.

Smokeys: KU’s version of Kansas City barbecue featuring smoked meats, pulled pork, brisket, turkey, baked beans, homemade slaw, fresh veggies, and cornbread muffins.

Lenoir’s Classics: Comfort foods such as meatloaf, chicken Dijon, beef stroganoff, pot roast, hot turkey sandwiches, roasted potatoes, rice blends, fresh steamed vegetables, and more.

Al Dente: Noodles and pastas, rice, quinoa, gnocchi, ramen, savory and sweet sauces, and fresh toppings.

The Cutting Board: Delicatessen with madeto-order sandwiches from lean meats, veggie toppings, and sliced cheeses, served on fresh rolls/breads and a Panini of the day served cold or toasted.

Copper Oven: From a stone hearth copper oven, specialty pizzas, breadsticks, flatbreads, calzones, and Stromboli.

Great Greens: Salad and soup bar with one side featuring made-to-order sizzlin’ salads such as chicken Caesar, sautéed veggie, and Cajun grilled shrimp.

Global Cuisine: Asian, Italian, Mexican, Mediterranean, Thai, and other ethnic dishes.

Delights: Sweets, fresh fruits, frozen yogurts, cookies, cakes, pies, and more.

Breakfast Nook: 18 varieties of cereals daily, a make-your-own Belgian waffle station, fresh fruits, low-fat yogurt bar with toppings, bagels, and muffins.

Beverages: Three stations with milk, soy milk, soda products, fruit juices, brewed iced tea, cappuccino, coffee, and fruit-flavored infused waters.

D E S I G N

Payment Accepted: Primarily dining plans; however, also cash and credit cards for guest meals

Daz-E Hill Grill: Charbroiled chicken, gourmet burgers, veggie burgers, grilled cheese, Reuben’s, fries, onion rings, and more.

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Hours of Operation: 7:00 a.m.–7:30 p.m.

Monday–Friday; 11:00 a.m.–7:30 p.m.

Saturday & Sunday

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PROJECT DETAILS

MRS. E’S CONCEPTS

by design

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CAMPUS DINING

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17TH AVENUE HALL DINING at University of Minnesota

Photos by Brandon Stengel, www.farmkidstudios.com

T

he University of Minnesota hadn’t built a new on-campus residence hall since 2002. The newest facility, six-story 17th Avenue Residence Hall, built at a cost of $62.5 million, opened at the end of August with an all-you-care-to-eat dining facility named Fresh Food Company by Aramark. “We have significantly raised the bar for dining on the University of Minnesota campus,� says Leslie Bowman, executive director, contract administration at the university.

The hall is designed to foster a sense of community among residents and built to emphasize energy efficiency, regional materials, and long-term sustainability. It serves the 600 residence hall students (311 student rooms, 289 of which are double-occupancy rooms) as well as the surrounding community, including members of adjacent sororities and fraternities, which have designated meeting rooms in the residence hall. Dining also hopes to attract people who attend the adjacent sports arenas and frequent Dinkytown and the Minneapolis east bank campus. An entrance to the operation, which is separate from the residence hall entrance, invites in customers from the community. Currently the facility serves up to 750 customers at the peak lunch period.

Seating areas provide multiple options of booths, four-tops, and bar-style surround stations. Glass partitions provide separation of spaces without blocking the light.

Right: Stacy Wiroll cuts fresh apples for menu items prepared at Produce Market station.

The décor incorporates natural materials, including wood, stone accents, and slate tile back drops.

The entrance wall is locally reclaimed lumber. The tables and chairs are made by a local company from sustainable materials. Hoods are surrounded by distressed stainless steel. The use of frosted glass between the waiting area and seating and behind the beverage counter serves to divide the space but doesn’t block light in any part of the facility.

HI G H W I NDOWS

The very same quality that contributes to the beauty of the operation—two long walls of floor-toceiling windows—also presented a significant design challenge. “The windows on the ground-floor dining facility are important, especially during the winter when we have so few hours of light,” Hard says. “Throughout the building, we put in as many windows as we could as part of reaching MN B3 building standards. It’s similar to LEED Silver rating, but we don’t have to do the record-keeping for LEED.” “All the food concepts had to be placed in the space without blocking the windows,” says Terry Pellegrino, FCSI, principal, Robert Rippe Associates Inc. The solution was to back up the grill to the dishroom, which needed high walls so it wasn’t visible. “We leveraged the dishroom and positioned a walk-in refrigerator and freezer to support the grill.”

In addition, the salad bar island contains a “floating” air screen refrigerator because there is no wall to support it. An undercounter refrigerator provides supplemental storage space.

Working with Aramark, Pellegrino and her team designed the food concept stations with equipment that allows Aramark to operate its branded concept, Fresh Food Company. “It was also important to equip the stations so equipment can be switched out if needed to provide long-term flexibility,” says Pellegrino. “This is the first new facility built on campus in many years and it’s unlikely that a major renovation will be possible for many years.” An example of that flexibility is at the home cooking station, where rather than installing a chef’s suite with fixed equipment, the equipment is mobile on casters with a utility raceway.

In addition, stations aren’t named to give the foodservice operator maximum flexibility to change the menu when necessary to meet student preferences.

Nearly all prep is visible to customers. Stations feature a Mongolian-style grill, a pizza and pasta station, fresh salad bar, comfort food, grill station, and a deli area.

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“We had quite a challenge opening week, because the university hosted its first football game on Thursday of welcome week,” says Nelson Hard, contract manager for dining services at the University of Minnesota. “This contributed to the complexity of the opening because many staff members who could help us were working at the stadium. But, we made it work.”

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Below: At the Mongolian grill station, distressed stainless steel surrounds the hoods. Each station contains flexible food shields.

HO ODS PRES ENT ENOR M OU S C HA LLE N GE

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One of the project’s biggest challenges was installing the hoods. “There are 12 hoods and the hood ducts had to go up six floors,” says Hard. “We had to be sure the air balance was correct throughout the entire space so there would be no cold drafts, smoke, or vapors escaping from the hoods. We told our engineers about the potential problems that could arise during peak periods when all the equipment was in use. I had heard horror stories from other Midwest campuses about shutting down on opening day because the hoods didn’t work properly. Our engineers worked on this and, along with the manufacturers’ reps who also came out, we tested the system ahead of opening. They worked!”

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In order to make the dining facility as energy efficient as possible, hoods feature demand control ventilation and a dishwasher that Pellegrino says “runs a little slower but is more energy efficient than many others on the market.” Other sustainable features include Energy Star certified equipment, high-efficiency plumbing fixtures, a vegetated roof, rainwater reclamation system, and other heat recovery mechanical systems.

The facility design also focused on labor efficiency. “All the prep is at the point of service, so it’s as labor efficient as possible,” Pellegrino says. Placing refrigeration at the units was a crucial consideration for efficiency. Yet the servery didn’t have enough space to include as much refrigeration and storage as needed, so a walk-in cooler, walk-in freezer, and dry storage is housed in the lower level beneath the servery.

Another challenging facet of the design was the back delivery dock. “The city won’t allow any truck to be parked on the streets that block traffic, so the dock had to be set in and under the residence hall,” says Pellegrino. Also, a screened in trash area is part of the enclosed dock space. “You would think that the back dock is more an afterthought and not difficult, but because of our location near the busy streets and with Greek houses surrounding us, we had to consider placement and size,” says Hard. u

PROJECT DETAILS Hours of Operation: 7 a.m.–8 p.m., Monday–Thursday; Fridays, open until 7 p.m.; brunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday. Facility is closed from 2 p.m.–4:30 p.m.

Contract Manager, Dining Services, for the University of Minnesota: Nelson Hard

Payment Accepted: Board plans, FlexDine, Gopher GOLD value, cash, credit cards

Assistant Director of Dining Services, Aramark: Kay Akey

Traffic: 700-750 during peak meal period at lunch; 800–1,000 at dinner Average Check: $7.70, breakfast; $8.95, lunch; $9.95 dinner Staff: 19 FTEs; 70 students Seats: 345

Director of Dining Services, Aramark: Karen DeVet

Executive Chef, Dining Services, Aramark: Scott Pampuch Architects: Partnership between Mackey Mitchell, St. Louis, Mo. and TKDA, Minneapolis, Minn.

Interior Design: Mackey Mitchell, St. Louis, Mo.

Departmental Director, Housing & Residential Life: Laurie McLaughlin

Foodservice Consultants: Robert Rippe Associates Inc., Minnetonka, Minn.; Terry Pellegrino, FCSI, principal, John Dunne, senior project manager, and Monica Thesing, equipment specialist

Assistant Department Director, Housing & Residential Life: Connie Thompson

Contractor: Mortenson Construction, Minneapolis, Minn.

Executive Director of Contract Administration: Leslie Bowman

Foodservice Equipment Dealer: Hockenberg’s Equipment & Supply Co., Inc.

Key Players:

by design

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n April 2013, dining services at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater transitioned from a food court-style concept to a traditional residence dining facility. The purpose of the renovation was to reintroduce an all-you-care-to-eat dining experience to the students living on the northwest corner of campus among seven residence halls and campus apartments.

“The initial reasoning was to renovate the building to upgrade the aging mechanical and HVAC systems,” says Tom Pellizzi, assistant director or dining services at UW-Whitewater. “The majority of systems were original to the 1960s original construction. In addition, students were asking for an all-you-care-to-eat facility on the west side of campus. Because of the intensive remodel needed to upgrade the mechanicals, it was the perfect time to introduce a completely new concept.

While this was a renovation, it has all the appearances of a new construction.”

To contemporize service, the $7 million, 17,000-square-foot facility contains 13,000 square feet of space for preparation, cooking, the servery, and seating, and 4,000 square feet for back of house kitchen equipment.

“All design and material choices were selected with heavy input from a student committee that met with Ricca Newmark Design and the Workshop Architects team,” Pellizzi says. “While the concept is in a large open space, we also have a purposeful traffic pattern driven by the different types of textures, material, and colors that define individual concepts within the larger whole.”

Seating was expanded from 250 to 400. In addition to the various types of seating, a fireplace area contains cozy soft seating and a private dining area can be used by student groups.

SERV E RY STAT ION S

“Servery platforms were created to develop a broader span of menu offerings that feature ‘Pulse on Dining’ concept operated

by Chartwells [Higher Education Dining Services],” says Kathleen Seelye, FFCSI, design partner for Ricca Newmark. The concept features six open-kitchen stations that lend themselves to small-batch cooking and allow guests to see their culinary team prepare food. Stations include Hearthstone Ovens; International Grill with a large Mongolian grill and double lines so the chef can continuously produce fresh and hot items; Bakers Crust; The

A decorative wood sculpture and pendant lights draw attention to the high ceilings in Drumlin Dining Hall.

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Photos courtesy of UW–Whitewater; photographer, Kat Shanahan

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DRUMLIN DINING HALL RENOVATION at University of Wisconsin–Whitewater

D E S I G N

CAMPUS DINING

Kitchen; Fresh Market; and My Pantry. Beverages are offered as well. Food is served in small, colorful vessels that staff members continually replenish with freshly prepared foods.

“This method of preparing and serving food provides students and associates an interactive experience,” says Pellizzi. They can see how their food is prepared all the way until it is served.”

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Kitchen equipment, coolers, freezers, and smallwares all were updated as part of the project. Two large coolers and freezers replaced the old facility’s three smaller units. The project’s equipment cost totaled $1.7 million.

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Supporting the new service concept, the heart of the house was renovated to reintroduce a dish room back into the concept. In order to fit everything into the space, a Ferris wheel-type tray return was installed as well.

In addition, on the lower level the university built a quick-service restaurant concept within Drumlin Market, which also includes Ebert & Gerbert’s Bistro, and a convenience store. This restaurant is open for late-night meal service.

RED UCTION IN WASTE A N D IN C R E ASIN G E FFIC IE N C IE S

Sustainability was a major consideration in the remodel. “A major portion of the renovation was centered on upgrading all of the mechanicals and HVAC to be more energy efficient,” says Pellizzi.

‘Switching to an all-you-careto-eat facility allowed us to go from all disposable service ware to reusable service ware, eliminating paper goods from the waste stream.”

Pellizzi believes that the dining team has been “successful in revitalizing Drumlin Dining Hall into a state-of-the-art foodservice facility that will

At myPantry, customers find a continental breakfast/beverage bar including make-your-own waffles, cereals, toasted breads and bagels.

A Mongolian grill at International Grill allows staff members to prepare a wide variety of ethnic dishes.

serve us well for many years to come. We hear from students that they love the facility and are excited to keep coming back to dine with us. I think that’s the biggest measure of success we look to. If the people who eat with us every day are happy, then we have all done our jobs right.” u

DRUMLIN DINING HALL’S CONCEPTS Hearthstone Ovens: Pizza, calzones, baked sandwiches, and pastas International Grill: International fare including Chinese, Mediterranean, Vietnamese, and street foods from around the world. All menu items are cooked on a large Mongolian-style grill.

The Kitchen: Homestyle favorites cooked on a large range suite. Items sometimes include favorites like grilled burgers, smoked pork, chicken cordon bleu, baked potato bar, fish fry, as well as vegetarian entrees.

Fresh Market: Salad bar with a large variety of fresh produce and composed salads.

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MyPantry: Continental breakfast/beverage bar including make your own waffles, cereals, toasted breads and bagels. Also includes soda, juice, milk and soy milk.

D E S I G N

Bakers Crust: Build-your-own deli sandwich bar with premium breads, meats, cheeses, and spreads. Also includes composed salads.

P ROJECT DETAILS Hours of Operation, Drumlin Dining Hall: 11 a.m.–7 p.m., Monday–Thursday; 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Friday; 4 p.m.–7 p.m.

Sunday

Key Players: Executive Director of Dining Services and Retail, UW Whitewater: Bob Barry

Hours of Operation, Drumlin Market: 11 a.m.–2 a.m. Monday-Sunday

Assistant Director of Dining Services and Retail, UW Whitewater: Tom Pellizzi, Jr., MBA

Payment Accepted: Dining Dollars, voluntary meal plan (MyMeals), Purple Points (campus debit account), cash, and credit

Resident District Manager for Chartwells Higher Education Dining Services: Tom Hinspater

Transactions/customers daily, Drumlin Dining Hall: 1,700–1,800 Transactions/customer daily, Drumlin Market: 1,800–1,900 Annual Check, Drumlin Dining Market: 16% of campus business Annual Sales, Drumlin Market: 16% of campus business Staff, Drumlin Dining Hall: One director; 11 full time associates; 20 student associates, one supervisor, and one production manager (also an RDN/CD) Staff, Drumlin Market: One manager, one supervisor, five full time associates; and 58 student associates Seats, Drumlin Dining Hall: 400 Seats, QSR: 45-50

Operations Director for Chartwells: Brenda Hinspater Executive Chef for Chartwells: Kerry Doll Architects: Workshop Architects, Milwaukee, Wisc.; Jan DenKieBoom, principal; Wally Johnson, project manager; and Bonnie Toland, designer Foodservice Consultants: Ricca Newmark Design, Greenwood Village, Colo.; Kathleen Seelye, FFCSI, LEED AP, managing partner Foodservice Contractor: Chartwells Higher Education Dining Services, Rye Brook, N.Y. Foodservice Equipment Dealer: Great Lakes West, Mattawan, Mich.; Boelter, Milwaukee, Wisc.; and Kavanaugh Restaurant Supply, Madison, Wisc.

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by design

CAMPUS DINING

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RENDEZVOUS at University of Wyoming

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Photography by Ben Tonak, University of Wyoming

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s the University of Wyoming campus continues to grow, the Wyoming Union becomes ever more overloaded every year. The choices about what to do to alleviate the overcrowding became tough,” says Eric Webb, director of dining services. “Should we expand the union or build a new facility? During our research, we determined that it was time to renovate an old, outdated facility that was originally designed to serve faculty and staff in a neighboring building. This made the decision easier. We’d remodel the old facility and invite the entire campus community to utilize it.”

In the fall of 2013, Rendezvous Café replaced the outdated dining facility in Ross Hall Dining Room at the heart of the west campus. Providing a comfortable dining experience where the UW community can come together to meet with friends and colleagues, the café provides breakfast, lunch, and coffee.

Taking advantage of the location at a busy campus intersection and with views of Prexy’s Pasture, the central quad on campus, the 3,955-square-foot café remodel includes a servery, dining areas and a kitchen.

SOPHIST IC AT E D Y E T R U ST I C

“Overall, Rendezvous is an excellent example of how sophisticated design can be can be achieved, even on a limited budget and tight construction schedule,” says Michelle Maestas, senior designer, Ricca Newmark Design.

In an effort to freshen up the existing space and evoke the comforts of home, “the design team utilized a warm palate of earth tones with vibrant pops of gold and orange in the paints, fabrics, decorative lighting and glass mosaic tiles,” says Maestas. “An eclectic mix of patterns, some more contemporary and others more traditional, balance the space and provide a design that is sophisticated yet rustic.”

Drywall soffits, some painted and others accented with glass tile, brought interest to the existing ceiling that had to remain, and also added a pop of color. Sizzling Salads is at left and Caliente Grill is further to the right. This photo was taken before the final construction was completed.

“We didn’t want it to look like any other dining operation on campus,” Webb says, “so we selected dark wood tones and darker colors to create a warm, homey environment verses one that is light and bright.”

As with most renovations, the team encountered several challenges throughout the project. “These included creating a single point of entry to ensure proper flow and function in the servery while defining the four distinct venues, providing a variety of seating options in a limited space (including a private dining room), and incorporating existing conditions due to limited time and budget,” says Maestas.

Marketing to students and faculty alike, in a facility that is not widely known on campus, made it imperative that the design be inviting and eye-catching from the exterior. New pendant lights and barheight tables along with signage at the north windows draw people in at the east entrance. “These also define the flow of the space and engage customers immediately in the servery,” Maestas says.

The positioning of Rendezvous takes advantage of the location at a busy campus intersection.

PL ATFO R MS & PREP KITCH E N

In the servery, the four platforms with different culinary styles include Caliente Grill, Nellie’s Deli, Sizzling Salads, and 7220 Coffee Co. The venues and prep areas are all visible to the customer, engaging them in the experience and providing a fresh made-to-order feel.

A small prep kitchen was designed into the space to support the platforms. It includes a threecompartment sink, counters, blender, a reach-in cooler, reach-in freezer, dry storage, and dishwasher for smallwares and pots. All serviceware is compostable disposables. On the lower level, a walk-in cooler and freezer hold refrigerated products until they are needed upstairs.

“The offerings at Rendezvous are specifically designed in response to campus dining customer feedback we’ve received in recent years,” Webb says. “We survey our customers every year to keep our dining program on track and the changes at Rendezvous are a direct result of the survey data. Dining services works very hard to make sure we are meeting the ever-changing needs of the campus community.” u

P ROJECT DETAILS Hours of Operation: 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

Monday–Friday. After 4 p.m., business will shift back to the union.

Payment Accepted: Wyo1 Dollars, credit card, cash, checks Projected Average Check: $8.50 Projected Annual Sales: $612,000 Staff: A mix of 15 full time and part-time Seats: 129+

Key Players: Director of Dining Services: Eric Webb Foodservice Consultant: Ricca Newmark Design, Denver, Colo.; Carl J. Newmark, AIA, NCARB, partner; Al Moeller, principal; Michelle Maestas, senior designer; William Rivera, job captain; and Lona Homersham, project director

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“Drywall soffits, some painted and others accented with glass tile, brought interest to the existing ceiling that had to remain,” Maestas says. “They also added a pop of color into the space in addition to strategically placed decorative pendants and ceiling fans that define seating areas and venues alike.”

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The serving counters were designed to mimic pieces of furniture with rich warm wood tone beadboard panels made from plastic laminate rather than real wood, custom laser cut metal insets and granite countertops, creating a built-in look. In an effort to save money, the secondary counters (beverage, trash, etc.) utilized a high-quality plastic laminate countertop to mimic the stone look.

D E S I G N

The dining area is defined by cozy built-in booth seating with custom acrylic panels strategically placed for added privacy and interest to the space. In addition, a lounge seating area near the coffee venue invites customers to sit and relax or socialize. The private dining room was opened up to engage the rest of the dining space and now includes wood sliding barn doors with frosted glass panels that can be used as dividers to create a private space when necessary.

WHAT’S HOT

on campus

Photos courtesy of University of Georgia Food Services

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A SATELLITE EXPERIMENT AT THE NICHE at University of Georgia

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Chef Don Law places customized pizza in the hearth oven.

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echnology is helping create market differentiation for a new foodservice operation at the University of Georgia. Unique food items not offered at other campus facilities are also helping generate a continual flow of customer traffic.

The Niche is the first foodservice on campus to offer gelato.

Located on the Health Sciences Campus, about two miles from the main campus, the Niche is the campus’ fifth dining commons. Opened August 12, it was built to provide foodservice for students living in a residence hall that was originally a Navy training school for procurement officers. “The university acquired the property after the training school was closed and then converted it to the GA Health Sciences Campus, which includes a 150-bed student housing facility,” says Jeanne Fry, executive director of Food Services.

“Our challenge was to build a facility in a small space that could serve 150 residents and attract customers from the main campus, so we had to make it something very special with menu items customers can’t find elsewhere on campus.”

To date, the Niche is generating up to 350 diners daily at breakfast and lunch (dinner isn’t offered).

“More than 50 percent of our business comes from students, faculty, and staff who take a bus to the Niche because they want to treat themselves to a different type of dining experience,” Fry says.

In order to accommodate 100 seats, the facility couldn’t include a full-scale production kitchen. “We didn’t have room for huge variety here,” Fry says.

“So we developed a menu that is exceptional and different than the menu found in our other facilities.”

The operation’s menu items come from three main platforms: the Grill, the Market, and the Hearth. The Niche also features a salad bar and beverage station.

The Market features prepared entrees, which are displayed in a refrigerated case similar to those found at upscale supermarkets so customers can see them before placing their orders.

Unlike the “blue-plate specials” offered in other dining operations, this menu includes choices such as rosemary flank steak, pan-seared salmon with apple and fennel salad, and roasted vegetable strudel. Sides include roasted carrots with herbs, horseradish mashed potatoes, and stuffed zucchini. Staff use high-end cast iron pots and soufflé-style dishes to serve the Market menu items.

Chef Don Law serves pork loin with red onion confit and a side of deluxe macaroni & cheese at the Market.

Entrees are heated in a rapid-cook oven.

W H AT ’ S

A customer, Taylor Adams, checks nutritionals using Building Your Plate on a touchscreen.

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At the Hearth, a stone-fired hearth oven that cooks custom-ordered pizzas is visible to customers, adding a touch of theater to production. Customers select their toppings, which include everything from artichoke hearts to fresh basil, and the individual pies are cooked within seven minutes while they wait. “This is the only place on campus to get this type of pizza,” Fry says.

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At the Grill, an ordering kiosk allows customers to punch in their menu selections, which are transmitted to culinary staff to prepare. A staff member calls out the customer’s name when the order is complete. This station prepares breakfast items, burgers, home-cut fries, and Reuben and other sandwiches.

Items for the Market and ingredients for other stations are prepared in the kitchen at Snelling Dining Commons and transported by refrigerated truck to the Niche where they are placed in a small walk-in cooler, freezer, or dry storage. Prepared items at the Marketplace are heated up in a rapid-cook oven before served to the customers. This is the only location on campus where this type of oven is used.

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Another first, the Niche features the campus’ first touchscreen nutrition education station. Here, diners access Build Your Plate from a screen in a designated space near the serving line. Build Your Plate is an interactive menu/nutrition feature that guides diners through calendar, location, and meal period options to view the menu. Diners can also view the nutrition information for a single menu item or add items to their plate in order to see the information for their entire meal.

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Customers can also use their own devices to access Build Your Plate. Build Your Plate was originally launched in September 2012 and enhanced the dining services’ mobile web app introduced in February 2012 that allows users to sign up for and upgrade a meal plan, connect on social media, leave feedback, view operational hours and dining capacity for the dining commons, and view the latest Facebook status update.

In the future, touchscreen stations will eventually replace the large Food Fact Finder books found in all the other dining commons’ nutrition education stations. The next one will appear in the new Bolton Dining Commons, scheduled to open in 2014. “We want to be sure the set-up is working well before we implement it elsewhere,” Fry says.

The Niche was designed by Eugene Cox Dunwody, Jr., AIA, of Dunwody/Beeland Architects, and James Camacho of Camacho Foodservice Designers and Consultants. It is open from 7 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.

“Though we haven’t yet been asked, we could definitely take this concept and introduce it elsewhere,” Fry says. u

Curvaceous stations, display cases and pendant lights contribute to giving the Niche a comfortable yet upscale ambiance.

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WHAT’S HOT

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Photos courtesy of University of Memphis & Aramark

BUILDING SIGNIFICANT BUSINESS at the University of Memphis

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reative strategic planning, practical financing, and persistence allowed Danny Armitage, assistant vice president of student affairs and interim dean of students at the University of Memphis, to capture much needed customer business and possibly contribute to improving graduation rates. The effort required was as challenging as the task, but the result was well worth the time spent to get the job done.

Four years ago, the university faced a dilemma.

Additional revenue was needed to complete a new, $4.5 million university center. Student Affairs needed addition revenue for tech support, R&R funding, office support, student labor support, and the ID card office.

“We had to generate more sales to generate enough needed income,” says Armitage. “This meant that more capital dollars were needed from the vendor, Aramark, the contract foodservice supplier on campus.”

When analyzing the situation, Armitage was also engaged in focusing on the Complete College Act developed in Tennessee that recognized that commuter students were not as engaged in campus life as residential students.

Display cases and colorful menu boards attract customers at Bistro Nineteen Twelve in the University Center Food Court and Restaurant.

“Unlike with residence students, we weren’t doing anything intentional with commuter students to help them engage in campus life and graduate at the same rates,” he says.

O T H E R N O TA B L E R E S U LT S 1. Significant increase in student satisfaction in many areas, including dining value, food quality and location to socialize 2. 97% of full time undergraduate student population is dining on campus during the semester (compared with around 40% before the initiative began)

• 3% full refund

• 12% partial refund 3. Impact on student retention • During implementation, retention increased on campus with the commuter population (more data is being gathered as to impact).

4. Impact on campus community and culture.

• Dining Dollars doubled existing sales and grew $1.7 million in additional sales recognizing that all students are utilizing the services on campus and staying on campus longer during the day.

C U STOM E R SAT ISFAC T IO N IM PR OV E M E N TS

Year 1

less than 100 complaints from 5,600 students

Year 2

fewer than 36 complaints from 7,900 students

Year 3

3 complaints

“I wondered why we weren’t getting the commuter students into the dining halls where they could get from a cup of coffee or a meal and socialize with their peers and faculty members,” Armitage says.

Meal plan sales campus-wide totaled 1,750, with 68 of those from commuters. “I also asked, how could we intentionally ask all full-time undergraduate students to engage in dining services?” he adds.

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The solution to encourage students to use the dining operations was to require that all undergraduate students put $300 on a debit card. The money could be used only in dining operations, which included 10 retail operations, vending, the bookstore coffee shop, and all food items sold at the bookstore. As a marketing tool and following basic developmental theory on student engagement, the plan was designed to refund unused dollars at the end of each semester. In addition, residence hall students can apply $300 to the meal plan purchased and have no increase in out-of-pocket costs for dining.

Left: Nature’s Market in the new Tiger Den features freshly prepared ingredients.

“The refund is fundamentally the catalyst to making this program successful,” Armitage says. “We had to explain to students and parents that with interest rates currently so low, they were losing very little if they kept the $300 in the bank versus putting it on the debit card.”

Café Roma brings an Italian cuisine flavor to the new Tiger Den facility.

As a result of the new plan, Armitage reports generating “significant” revenue to support the university center, which opened with a food court and a stand-alone restaurant. Dining sales have grown nearly 200 percent: vending sales have grown 320 percent; bookstore dining sales have grown 200 percent; and new sales have exceeded existing sales plus dining dollars. Sales have gone from $4.5 million to $11 million in two years. “Dining is providing new unencumbered money—over $200,000—to the university,” Armitage says.

In the four years since the dining dollars initiative, Armitage reports, “We increased vendor investment dollars, increased commissions, exceeded sales expectations, generated great public relations, made connections to retention, engaged students at multiple locations, and realized an increase in student satisfaction. I attribute this to intentionally asking students to engage in the social aspect of dining on campus and Aramark’s providing an exceptional product that is engaging. This is a fee for a service that all students need on a daily basis, but if they choose not to use it we will provide a refund. It has changed the culture on our campus with commuters.” u

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Top: One of the popular sites in the University Center Food Court and Restaurant is BK Whopper Bar.

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Contact your local vending operator to learn more about Crane’s new MEDIA machine.

WHAT’S HOT

on campus

Photos courtesy of UC San Diego Dining

In addition to offering sophisticated recipes of vegan fare such as custom-made salads, handmade vegan soups, and creative entrees, Roots features entrees of house-made “berger” sandwiches, lettuce wraps, and vegan desserts that are made fresh daily by the culinary team.

DEV E LOPIN G T HE M E N U A N D OPE N IN G

The menu was developed with cuisine in mind, not just to provide vegan food options, Casad explains. “While developing the vegetarian menu it was suggested that the vegan option was just a small step from where we were,” says Certified Executive Chef Vaughn Vargus, who leads the Roots culinary team that continues to create new items to prevent what Vargas calls “palate fatigue.”

Top: Chefs create a display of the many creative menu items served at Roots.

Bottom: Plants, windows, and graphics depicting flowers provide a cheerful, fresh ambience.

Opened in January 2012, the 3,206-square-foot facility evolved as a result of a renovation that included a complete overhaul of the dining and kitchen areas in the Stewart Commons residence hall to accommodate the restaurant’s organic menu.

With a joint venture between Barnhart-Reese Construction, Inc. and Black IPO, Inc., both of San Diego, the Roots restaurant project was completed using the construction management multi-prime construction delivery method in which the owner contracts separately and directly with each prime contractor.

W H AT ’ S

Located on the Muir College campus, which houses the university’s environmental programs, and sits below Pines Restaurant, Roots’ clean, modern ambiance is designed to reflect the menu. The restaurant’s tagline says it all: “Eat healthy.

Eat clean. Eat at Roots.” Diners choose from a variety of hearty entrees, sides, snacks, smoothies, and desserts. “Unlike many vegetarian establishments, Roots features a predominantly vegan menu,” says Steven Casad, director of dining, retail, and conference services. “In addition to accommodating UC San Diego’s vocal vegan community, Roots promotes healthy eating habits.”

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egetarian and vegan cuisine’s popularity continues to grow on campuses nationwide. UC San Diego’s first exclusively vegetarian/vegan eatery and lounge not only capitalizes on this popularity but also raises the bar of creativity in menu development. UC San Diego won the award for PETA2’s 2012 Most Vegan Friendly Large School.

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DEEPENING ROOTS’ HOLD at University of California San Diego

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CAT E R IN G TO C U STOM E R S

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Serving customers Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. until 8 p.m., during the academic year, Roots, similar to all restaurants on campus, accepts the university’s Dining Dollars, Triton Cash, credit cards, and cash, and can be integrated into students’ meal plans. The restaurant registers about 300 point-of-sale transactions daily with an $8.21 average check and average weekly sales of $10,000 to $11,000.

Average foot traffic increased 25 percent and sales increased 13 percent over a year’s period. “Adding smoothies to our menu later in the year lowered our average sales a bit but increased our traffic,” Casad says. Staffing includes 3.5 FTEs and 15 student employees.

Customers “Certainly, Roots is widely accepted by the community,” says Haley Mullay, student liaison, sit in a casual environment UCSD housing, dining, hospitality. Offering advice to colleagues, Casad says, “Vegan menu emphasizing request is growing in voice but not necessarily in sales.” u natural wood.

CREATIVE MENU DESIGN RO OT SUM Kendra Lama/Noodle Bowl; Pacheco Pass/Stacked Enchiladas; Pacific Crest; Russet Path/Baker w/ Veggies; Sweet Passage/ Polenta, Marinara & Veggies; and Hetch Hetchy/Potato Gnocchi

RO OT SLAB El Capitan/Tofurky Sandwich; Spicy Sierra/BBQ Lettuce Wrap; The Root Berger/Vegan Berger; The Root of All Evil/Vegan Chiken [sic] Sandwich, and Tuolomne Meadows

FI EL D AND FARM Chop-Chop River/Grilled Romaine Heart; Sunflower Fields/ Greens, Seeds & Veggies; and Valley View/Ginger Tofu & Greens

SO UP AND CHILI Handmade vegan soups and vegan Hot Kettle Chili

SI DES Steamed Brown Rice and Sweet Potato Fries

SMO OT HIES Fern Creek; The Redwood; Tioga Pass; and Watermelon Chiller

DESSE RT Cannoli; Chocolate Cupcakes; Coconut Vanilla Cupcakes; Vanilla Cupcakes; and Vegan Chocolate Pudding On the menu page, nutritional information includes calories, calories from fat, total grams of fat, cholesterol and sodium, carbohydrates, fiber, sugars, and protein. All ingredients and allergens are listed.

Sweet Passage is made with vegetables, polenta, marinara sauce, tofu and almonds.

WHAT’S HOT

on campus

Photos courtesy of UNI Dining Services

UNI became involved following the Iowa governor’s directive to make the state the healthiest state in the U.S. by 2016.

Four cities in the state—Waterloo, Cedar Falls, Mason City and Spencer—received grants to start “Blue Zones” project demonstration sites. UNI’s Carol Petersen, director of dining services, and Lisa Krausman, RD, LD, administrative dietitian and purchasing manager, served on a university committee last fall and determined what would be needed to receive Blue Zones designation in the restaurant category.

As part of participation in Blue Zones, UNI provides education about the Blue Zones Project by featuring speakers, such as Dan Buettner, Blue Zones founder, author of “The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest,” “Thrive: Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way,” and “The Secrets of Living Longer,” a cover story on longevity in National Geographic.

“In the residential dining operations, Rialto and Piazza, we enhanced the menu with healthier choices,” says Petersen.

“Making changes in the retail operation, Prexy’s, was more difficult because healthier food isn’t always a top seller. Healthy choice combos were added to encourage customers to select water and a healthy side instead of chips, fries, and soda.”

Top: Customers find herbs and spices at flavor stations, developed when Changes implemented include serving healthy sides with entrees, making salt shakers were taken half portions available, using 10off the tables. inch or smaller plates, maintaining a smoke-free environment, and offering Bottom: Offering a minimum of three healthy dishes at healthful salads each meal. For healthful menus, UNI contribute to the Blue dining staff developed recipes such as Zones designation. Here is an example of a regular and small side salad.

W H AT ’ S

The Blue Zones Project™ by Healthways is a global initiative designed to improve community well-being and help citizens make healthy choices through permanent changes to environment, policy, and social networks. Designation is achieved in categories—worksite, restaurant, grocery store and school—by meeting a specific set of criteria (see www.bluezonesproject.com).

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ecoming more eco-friendly and making a commitment to healthy dining has taken on a new dimension at the University of Northern Iowa. UNI’s dining centers, Rialto and Piazza, as well as Prexy’s restaurant in Maucker Union, earned Blue Zones Restaurant Designation during the past year.

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EARNING BLUE ZONES RESTAURANT DESIGNATION at University of Northern Iowa

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green lemon chicken with fat-free Greek yogurt and whole wheat bread crumbs; wheat berry apple salad; wild rice salad; chicken Caesar salad; Tex-Mex salad, Caprese pasta salad; and Greek pasta salad. In addition, nutritional information is offered online.

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Another change is to offer salt shakers only upon request. Flavor stations were developed to provide spices that can be used as a substitute to salt.

“We put table tents out to explain the removal of salt shakers and addition of Staff receives Blue Zones designation. the flavor stations,” Petersen says. We Photo courtesy of Blue Zones Project™ Cedar Falls, Healthways, Inc. took something but gave something back, and this helped customer acceptance. We found an interesting phenomenon: If healthy items are offered in a convenient place, students are more apt to take them.”

To obtain Blue Zones designation, the UNI dining management team met with representatives from the Blue Zones project to learn how the designation criteria are met.

After making the needed modification to the menu and services, the team submitted an application. “We received notification of our approval and approval was published in the local paper along with names of other restaurants who received designation (there are now seven total in Cedar Falls). Blue Zones representatives took pictures, and gave us a plaque and Blue Zones stickers for our entrance doors,” Petersen says.

To assist UNI achieve Blue Zones worksite designation, UNI Dining staff presented a series of healthy cooking classes for faculty and staff. At the presentations, customers receive tips for eating healthy meals at home and in restaurants.

Designation is monitored throughout the year by Blue Zones staff. Though convenience stores and branded concepts can be difficult to transform to qualify for Blue Zone designation, Petersen isn’t giving up on the possibility for the future. In the meantime, staff will develop more healthful recipes.

“We’ve received incredibly positive feedback from students, faculty, staff, parents, and the community for participating in this project,” Petersen says.

In order to build community among freshmen and help them be more successful while at college, UNI dining began requiring all freshmen to be on an all-access meal plan.

“We promoted the fact that students can eat healthier and smaller meals more often,” Petersen says. “They don’t have to over-consume at any one meal in order to obtain a perceived value from their meal plan.”

In tandem with Blue Zones participation, Petersen and Krausman participate in the campus-wide committee, Healthy Campus Coalition, which is another way the university supports wellness on campus. u

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BLUE ZONES LESSONS

Engage in regular, low-intensity physical activity.

2-4

Establish healthy eating habits: Eat until you no longer feel hungry; eat until 80 percent full; incorporate more plants and less meat in your diet; and consume a daily drink or two. The key is consistency, moderation, and making eating a social or relaxing event.

5 6 7

Develop a strong sense of purpose.

Take time to relieve stress.

Actively participate in a spiritual community.

8 9

Learn to put your family first.

Establish a social network with people who have a similar healthy lifestyle.

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By Kathy Egan, LDN, LD College of the Holy Cross

N U T R I T I O N I S T

O N

C A M P U S

nutritionist

Why You Need a

on Campus

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F

ew subjects are more personal than food. What we eat defines us. Food identity is linked to family, culture, social, emotional and political influences. In the college and university setting, dining departments are expected to meet all of these needs while remaining on budget and one step ahead of the next trend.

Topping the list of current campus dining trends is “nutrition.”

But what does that mean? Being nutrition-focused is much more than just providing healthful meals. Nutrition-centric customers want to know more than just what is in their food.

They also want to know where it was grown, how it was transported and who prepared it. Nutrition lifestyle choices are varied, and may include vegan, vegetarian, Paleo, low carb, high protein, all natural, organic, gluten-free or raw foods.

I NTEGRATED ROLES ON C A M PU S

Vegetarian Pesto Zuchinni Pasta

With all of these nutrition concerns, many institutions are finding that a dietitian, nutritionist, dietary manager, or other nutrition professional is an essential member of their management team.

Responsibilities often include: creative menu development; recipe/nutrition information management; counseling students and meeting with parents; administering special diet programs; staff training (e.g., food allergy, food safety); marketing; outreach; cooking demos; educational presentations; and administration/management. Having a dietitian/nutritionist on staff clearly demonstrates a commitment to student health, and these professionals serve in a wide variety of roles.

For example, Robin Allen, MSPH, RD, LDN, is the administrative dietitian for University of Illinois Dining Services. In her position, she works with chefs and dining staff to increase the variety of healthy options, including vegan, vegetarian, and items for special diets. She provides education and training to staff, participates in health fairs, researches special products, works with the menu management dietitian to keep their nutrition labeling information accurate and supervises dietetic interns as well as those in the NACUFS Foodservice Management Internship program.

Campus dining departments benefit from the passion and enthusiasm that a nutrition professional brings to their work. “I have the best job in the world,” states Lisa Eberhart RD, CSSD, LDN, CDE of North Carolina State University. She says she enjoys combining her expertise in clinical nutrition, food science and food service with her love of food. Eberhart is also involved in menu development and recipe testing, working side-by-side with managers and chefs who are supportive of nutrition initiatives and nutrition special events.

E DUCATORS AND COLLA BOR ATOR S When it comes to food, we all have a double standard. There is what we think (or know) we should eat, and then what we actually choose. Our customers are no different, but an educated consumer can make better choices. Informal, fun nutrition education programs reinforce good eating habits and help customers understand how to balance their meal selections. Jeanette Moser of Grinnell College in Iowa oversees their residential dining program, working closely with a consulting dietitian.

At Cornell University, Michele Wilbur Lefebvre, RD, CDN, brings that kind of dual expertise to her department. Michele manages monthly educational and fun events at their many dining facilities across campus. She serves on the purchasing committee and reviews all products and ingredients, providing feedback and information to chefs and managers. Lefebvre is the nutrition/dining intern supervisor and as the only dietitian at a large school, she finds that supervising interns is a win-win.

The interns gain valuable experience and her department benefits from their enthusiastic efforts.

Staff training is essential to the continued success of any business and nutrition professionals seem to be natural teachers. Adria Gillitzer, RDN, LD is the dietitian and administrative manager at Saint John’s University (SJU) Dining Service. Her primary job functions are managing dining and catering operations, leading wellness and nutritional education programs in the dining halls. She also coordinates employment for over 125 students. Gillitzer identifies public relations as a key element to everything she does, which also includes one-on-one nutritional counseling of students, presenting nutrition information to student groups, and mentoring student employees and interns.

At the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, Angela Hasouris, dining services manager works with the residence dining manager at their flagship dining hall, The View, to develop a training program for more than 100 student employees. They are also restructuring the student manager program, and creating standard operating procedure manuals for the facility.

Nutrition-centric customers want to know more than just what is in their food. They also want to know where it was grown, how it was transported and who prepared it.

Educational presentations, outreach to campus community and getting the efforts of dining recognized in the media is good for the department and the institution. It is important to let customers, the campus and the community know about the important work of your department and how it benefits them. Carrie Anderson, a dining court supervisor and the nutritionist at Purdue University, understands the value of good public relations. Armed with a B.S. in Dietetics from Northern Illinois University and 17 years of experience at Purdue, Anderson unabashedly promotes her department and her passion for nutrition. She was recently recognized with The Focus Award, which is given to a Purdue Dining staff member for outstanding contributions to furthering of Purdue University’s commitment to disability, accessibility, and diversity. She was also interviewed by a local NBC affiliate about food allergies and what they do at Purdue, which was picked up by six other NBC affiliates across the country.

RESO URC E FOR S PECIAL DIETA RY N E E DS Special diets are growing rapidly, and nutrition professionals are armed with the education and training to respond to special dietary requests from students and help staff implement special meal plans correctly. A nutrition expert will be able to discern when a request is a lifestyle choice versus the medical need for a special diet. The dietitian/nutritionist is a perfect liaison with Health Services; they can work with medical personnel to assure guidelines for documentation are met and reasonable dietary accommodations fall within the scope of the dining department capabilities.

C A M P U S O N N U T R I T I O N I S T

Campus nutrition professionals are competent in nutrition knowledge while understanding how production kitchens work. Knowing the challenges facing culinary staff as well as the nutritional consequences of various preparation methods is essential for writing an accurate recipe. Nutritionists can suggest easy preparation alternatives to improve the nutrition profile of the menu. Often, making a small recipe change can meet the needs of a broader audience—such as using a gluten free or vegetable soup base, thickening sauces with corn starch, or serving meat and cheese on the side— adding value for customers with special dietary needs.

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Together, they plan “RD:Ed” (Registered Dietitian Education Programs) to help educate students.

They also collaborate on campus wellness fairs and coordinate the nutritional fact information for the foods served at Grinnell Dining Marketplace.

N U T R I T I O N I S T

O N

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Vegan Gluten Free Vegetable Pizza Campus dining dietitians also help culinary staff make decisions about what products to use, advising on a wide range of issues from food intolerances to life threatening anaphylaxis food allergic reactions, food safety and emergency preparedness. It can be a challenge to stay on top of the latest information, so outside experts are a great resource. Recently, Nancy Lane from Hubert Company worked with others in the association to introduce “allergy kits” as a timely response to a growing need in college and university foodservice. These specialized kits are comprised of purple or lavender utensils that are used exclusively to prepare meals for those with food allergies and sensitivities. Lane’s background as a merchandising consultant, her experience with the Student Nutrition Association and NACUFS, as well as her ServSafe certification all contributed to the success of this project. She often serves as a resource for campus food service departments and works side by side with nutrition professionals to help them stay up to date on safety practices and industry trends.

I jumped into campus dining only recently, joining HC Dining at College of the Holy Cross in 2011. My experience as a healthcare food service director, nutrition counselor and restaurant manager was good preparation for the diverse demands of the job. But what I didn’t know was how much fun it would be! Like many others, I am involved in menu development, product evaluation and manage nutrition information. I also enjoy being an advisor to a student club and working with academic departments on special projects that promote nutrition literacy. I love my work and feel that I am making a positive difference in people’s lives. What more could anyone ask for? u

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2013 NACUFS

C O N F E R E N C E

NATIONAL

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T

conference

he 55th annual NACUFS national conference was a true Northern Experience, held in the heart of Minneapolis. With more than 1,080 attendees representing 220 schools and more than 250 exhibitors, the conference covered a wide variety of topics related to campus dining.

With topics such as marketing, benchmarking, and more, members were able to see how imperative it is to stay on top of the trends in dining services. Conference attendees learned how collegiate dining is changing and how to address the questions and comments from students, faculty, and staff. Sessions also focused on subjects such as sustainability, nutrition, food allergies, going local, and catering.

Attendees left these sessions with practical advice on how to implement what they learned on their own campuses.

Along with the education opportunities, many members were recognized for their contributions to the association and industry during awards ceremonies throughout the week. (More on the award winners can be found on the following pages).

To cap off a great week, the closing event, The Great Minnesota Get-Together on Nicollet Island, allowed attendees to wind down with good food, good friends, and good conversation. What was learned throughout the conference will not soon be forgotten.

Thank you to the 2013 National Conference Committee for providing a true “Northern Experience� and making the conference possible.

C O N F E R E N C E

2012-2013 NACUFS Board of Directors

OFFICERS INSTALLED

President

Mark LoParco

University of Montana President-Elect Zia Ahmed

The Ohio State University Secretary/Treasurer (re-elected) Rich Neumann

Ohio University

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THANK YOU TO THE

2013 NATIONAL CONFERENCE SPONSORS

C O N F E R E N C E

DOUBLE DIAMOND

DIAMOND

GOLD

Agilysys Basic American Foods Blue Bunny/Wells Enterprises Hobart Hormel Foods Corporation Hubert Company The J.M. Smucker Company Kraft Foods, Inc.-Foodservice Division Peet’s Coffee & Tea Porter Khouw Consulting, Inc. Tyson Foods, Inc. Ventura Foods, LLC

SILVER

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PLATINUM

ACOSTA Foodservice Alto-Shaam, Inc. Bakergroup Foodservice & Hospitality Consultants Brakebush Brothers, Inc. Campbell Soup Company Capitol Cups, Inc. Coca-Cola North America Computrition, Inc. ConAgra Foods Dole Packaged Foods LLC Ecolab, Inc. Elite Global Solutions Idahoan Foods, LLC Indian Harvest InnovAsian Cuisine Ent LLC Jennie-O Turkey Store Jennie-O Turkey Store Pacific Natural Foods Partners By Design, LLC Performance Food Group Rich Products Corporation Robert Rippe & Associates, Inc. Signature Solutions By LogoWorks Webb Design

PRE-CONFERENCE N EI G H BORH OOD MARKET RETA IL WORKS HOP AFP - Advanced Food Products Barilla America, Inc. Bruegger’s Bagels Kellogg Company Onion Crunch, LLC PepsiCo Foodservice Sushi With Gusto

“ THE JOY OF BAKING” WO RKSHOP

ConAgra Mills Foodservice Express Division of Med-Diet, Inc. General Mills Foodservice

2014 NACUFS NATIONAL CONFERENCE JULY 8-12, 2014 Join your association friends and colleagues in Baltimore next year, and get ready to B’More Innovative! at the 2014 NACUFS National Conference. Learn more at www.nacufs.org/conference.

The 2014 National Conference Committee encourages the crowd to join them in Baltimore next July.

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American Roland Food Corp.

Aurora Information Systems Bagcraft Papercon BSI, LLC Fabri-Kal Corp.

Gehl Foods Inc. Good Source Solutions Heinz North America Jones Dairy Farm Kettle Cuisine Lakeside Manufacturing Inc. Steelite Sun Coffee Roasters SunOpta, Inc. Twinings North America Udi’s Gluten Free Foods Ultrafryer Systems Unilever Food Solutions Vulcan Hart

C O N F E R E N C E

BRONZE

R E C O G N I T I O N

INDIVIDUAL HONORS

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Recognizing Excellence IN COLLEGIATE DINING

THEODORE W. MINAH DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD Samuel A. Bennett, Ed.D. Texas Tech University

RICHARD LICHTENFELT AWARD Sharon Olson Y-Pulse Richard Williams Grinnell College

DARYL VAN HOOK INDUSTRY AWARD Andrew Shakman LeanPath, Inc.

Collegiate foodservice is a demanding profession worthy of special attention. Each year, the many NACUFS awards and recognition opportunities celebrate success in culinary arts, menu design, merchandising, marketing, nutrition, and service to the association and the industry. NACUFS congratulates the 2013 recipients highlighted on the following pages.

DAVID R. PRENTKOWSKI DISTINGUISHED LIFETIME MEMBER AWARD Haddon Reines Performance Food Group Sharon Coulson University of California-Davis Sarah Johnson Purdue University Residences

Northeast Region

Phillip Edwards, Concordia College Amy Beckstrom, University of Colorado at Boulder

Tufts Dining Services William McNamara, SUNY at Cortland

Mid-Atlantic Region

Pacific Region

Jennifer Whitcomb, Messiah College Cindy Stearns, University of Richmond

Diana Sobczynski, University of Oregon David McKay, Eastern Washington University

Midwest Region

Southern Region

Robin Allen, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Steve Simpson, University of Missouri

Sandy Nicholason, LeanPath, Inc. Meredith Statler, The Lovett School

CL ARK E . DEHAVEN SCHOL AR SHIP AWARDS

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The Clark E. DeHaven Scholarship Trust, established in 1990, honors Clark E. DeHaven, NACUFS’ first executive director. Its purpose is to provide merit scholarships to students at member institutions who are committed to pursuing careers in accredited programs in the foodservice profession or related areas.

2013 RECIPIENTS

Alison Kenny The University of Akron

Shauni Hernandez Fontbonne University

Laura Cates Kansas State University

Norma Patino Utah State University

SUSTAINABILI T Y AWARDS The Sustainability Awards annually recognize and honor member institutions that have demonstrated outstanding leadership in the promotion and implementation of environmental sustainability, specifically as it relates to campus dining operations. These awards support the globally accepted triple bottom line philosophy, a method of evaluating operational performance by measuring financial success as well as environmental sustainability and social responsibility—also known as “people, planet, profit.”

WASTE MANAGEMENT Gold: University of Maryland: Community Engagement Program Silver: Harvard University: Student Resuable Mug Program Bronze: Alfred State College: Recycling Program PROCUREMENT PRACTICES Gold: University of Montana: Farm to College Program Silver: Oregon Health and Science University:

Five-Year Strategic Procurement Plan for Sustainable Goods Bronze: University of California-Santa Barbara:

Earth Friendly Dining

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Continental Region

OUTREACH & EDUCATION Gold: McGill University: McGill Feeding McGill Program Silver: University of Buffalo:

Pride of New York at UB Program Bronze: Northern Michigan University:

Dine Responsibly Program

ENERGY & WATER CONSERVATION Gold: Purdue University: “New Synergies” Strategic Plan GREEN STUDENT CHAMPION Jett Hattaway, Kennesaw State University SUSTAINABILITY GRAND PRIZE University of Maryland

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REGIONAL PRESIDENTS’ AWARDS

CULINARY CHALLENGE

R E C O G N I T I O N

The 13th annual Culinary Challenge showcased the skills of chefs at member institutions in an exciting live-action competition presented at the NACUFS national conference. The contestants, chosen in regional culinary challenges, each had 60 minutes with an additional five minutes for plating, to produce four portions of a creative entrée using duck as the mandatory ingredient, with side dishes and sauces to create a nutritionally balanced plate.

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Bryce Benes from Orange Coast College was awarded first place in this year’s competition, winning the Culinary Challenge and a gold medal from the American Culinary Federation (ACF).

Benes’s dish, Duo of Duck, consisted of a crispy pan seared duck breast with cherry gastrique/ cassoulet style confit.

Receiving second place and an ACF gold medal was Jeremy Elmore from the University of Missouri for his dish, a coffee rubbed duck breast and braised thigh with spinach gnocchi de parisenne. Cyril Ortigosa-Liaz from Yale University took third place for his dish of tellecherry pepper duck breast with kiln-dried cherries and garden vegetables. He also won the people’s choice award during the competition.

ACF silver medals were awarded to Peter Testory of Colorado State University and Brian Hancock of Georgia Southern University. A bronze medal was awarded to Donald Stauffer of the University of Pennsylvania.

Three certified executive chefs judged the competition. Judging criteria were based on the taste of the finished product, the demonstration of cooking skills and culinary techniques, and the practice of organizational skills, including sanitation principles.

The winning dish from Bryce Benes: Duo of Duck—Crispy pan seared breast with a cherry gastrique/ cassoulet style confit.

The 2013 Culinary Challenge contestants.

C-STORE BEST IN T HE BUSINESS AWARDS

UPDATING YOUR EXISTING C-STORE Winner: Tween The Pages, University of Georgia Honorable Mention: Xcetera, University of Oklahoma THE HYBRID C-STORE Winner: Sunshine Market, University of California-San Diego Nelson Market, Ohio University MERCHANDISING IN YOUR RETAIL VENUES Winner: Cascadia Market, Oregon State University Honorable Mention: The Campus Store, Vanderbilt University FOODSERVICE APPLICATION Winner: Market 16 & Noodle Bar, Drexel University

NUTRI TION AWARDS BEST LOCAL FOODS RECIPE

MOST INNOVATIVE NUTRITION PROGRAM

This biennial contest recognizes and encourages the use of locally produced foods in the menus of member institutions by showcasing the efforts of those that use locally produced ingredients.

This annual contest recognizes colleges and universities that have implemented a unique and effective nutrition program during the year.

Gold Michigan State University Smoked Cheddar Cheeseburger Silver University of Connecticut Port Stew with Fennel and Butternut Squash Silver Oklahoma State University Grilled Chicken Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing Bronze University of Minnesota Dirty Farro

Gold Oklahoma State University Understanding Healthy Dining Silver University of Massachusetts-Amherst Healthy Protein Promotion Bronze College of the Holy Cross Kimball Takeover

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NEW STORE DESIGN INNOVATION Winner: District Market, University of Washington Honorable Mention: Pony Express @ CBA, California State Polytechnic University-Pomona

R E C O G N I T I O N

Recognizing leadership in product mix, marketing, layout, design, and great new ideas, the C-Store Best in the Business Awards competition provides an opportunity for college and university campuses to share stories of their latest improvements and highlight their retail and convenience store best practices.

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Collegiate foodservice is a demanding profession worthy of recognition. The Loyal E. Horton Dining Awards contest is a highly competitive peer recognition program. The awards celebrate exemplary menus, presentations, special event planning, and new dining concepts, and provide an avenue for sharing ideas and creative presentations in campus dining services.

Judges spent several days in the NACUFS office in Okemos, Mich., poring over more than 150 entries for this year’s awards. Sixty-seven gold, silver, bronze, and honorable mention awards were presented to the “best of the best” in the contest’s six categories. The grand prize winners were announced at the conference and are featured in the following pages.

2013 LOYAL E. HORTON DINING AWARDS

SUNY AT BUFFALO, CAMPUS DINING AND SHOPS Campus Dining and Shops at the University at Buffalo (UB) operates 25 dining locations that serve nearly 29,000 students and 9,000 faculty and staff.

Crossroads Culinary Center (C3), which opened in October 2012 and is UB’s newest residential dining center, brings an experience that students don’t typically see. The nearly $13 million, 650-seat C3 is an expansion and renovation of a 1970s era dining center in UB’s largest residential complex.

The facility follows a Marche concept of dining that includes eight distinctive food stations. From the start, C3 was about combining many unique restaurants within its space. The décor from one concept to another blends different lighting, eclectic tables, and seating and elevated spaces. In addition to creating an inviting environment, C3 prioritizes freshness, variety, and authenticity.

C3 serves more than 2,500 students and guests per day with all food prepared and cooked fresh in front of the guest. The stations include: Oregano’s, Italian dishes; Blue Dragon, wok creations; Global Noodle, international noodle soups; Strictly Vegetarian, meatless entrees; Seasons, fresh vegetables and salad inclusions; Baked Creations, personal pizzas and baked sandwiches; Carve, rotisserie meats; Foundations, homestyle entrees; and finally, Temptations, desserts galore.

SMALL SCHOOL

Honorable Mention Caldwell College Bronze Concordia College Silver Manhattan College Gold Hendrix College MEDIUM SCHOOL Honorable Mention University of Richmond

California Baptist University Bronze Ashland University Silver California State University-Chico Gold Xavier University LARGE SCHOOL Honorable Mention Cal Poly Pomona Foundation

Bronze University of Connecticut University of Georgia Silver Kennesaw State University Gold SUNY at Buffalo, Campus Dining and Shops

R E C O G N I T I O N

GRAND PRIZE:

CATEGORY WINNERS

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RESIDENTIAL DINING CONCEPTS

2013 LOYAL E. HORTON DINING AWARDS

CATEGORY WINNERS SMALL SCHOOL

RESIDENTIAL DINING— SPECIAL EVENT

Honorable Mention Calvin College Bronze Hendrix College

R E C O G N I T I O N

Silver Concordia College

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Gold Brigham Young University-Hawaii MEDIUM SCHOOL Honorable Mention University of Maine

SUNY at Cortland Bronze SUNY at Geneseo Silver Northern Michigan University Gold University of WisconsinStevens Point LARGE SCHOOL Honorable Mention University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Virginia Tech Bronze University of Georgia Silver University of New Hampshire Gold Yale University

GRAND PRIZE:

YALE UNIVERSITY Yale Dining is composed of residential, retail, and graduate dining as well as executive catering services and serves more than 14,000 meals daily. Yale Dining thrives on providing exceptional, interactive dining experiences for students, faculty, and staff. The 2012 Freshmen Holiday Dinner highlighted Yale Dining’s sustainable initiatives in menuing, purchasing, and composting. The event continued a tradition as one of the most memorable dining experiences for Yale undergraduates; an evening that celebrated the holiday season, the artistry of food, and the community among students, administration, and dining staff.

Set among 12 historic residential colleges (for upperclassmen) and the grand hall of Commons were elaborate displays of ice sculptures, gingerbread houses, and festive décor. The menu, featuring eggnog, mulled cider, and a bounty of seasonal vegetables, line-caught fish, grassfed beef, and traditional holiday breads and desserts, was punctuated in Commons with its “Parade of Comestibles.” This pageantry, led by a fife and drum corps, featured the dining hall staff presenting an epicurean selection of food in a priding procession through the cheering assembly of nearly 1,300 freshmen in Commons. They proudly marched with their beautiful culinary creations while holiday music filled the air.

2013 LOYAL E. HORTON DINING AWARDS

UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI Campus Dining Services at The University of Missouri (Mizzou) generates $28 million of annual revenue through 21 locations, made up of residential, retail, and convenience stores. In the fall of 2010, they opened a $65 million, 233,011 square-feet student center with six unique dining destinations, including Mort’s.

Named after Mizzou alumnus Mort Walker, creator of the Beetle Bailey comic strip, Mort’s is a classic American grill with a Mizzou twist. Mort’s is located inside of The Shack, a recreation of a popular student hangout that was on campus from the 1920s to the 1980s. Mort’s and The Shack combine to create a modern dining destination with a laid-back atmosphere mirroring that of the character Beetle Bailey.

Entertainment and experience are important parts of the culture at Mort’s and The Shack. Two 18-foot screens, five pool tables, shuffleboard, foosball, and other classic games are available free to students and their families. This great entertainment would not be complete without great food. Mort’s menu features classics like local half-pound Missouri Legacy Beef burgers, hand-breaded chicken, creamy milkshakes, and mouth-watering chili cheese fries.

SMALL SCHOOL Bronze Wells Dining

Silver Concordia College Gold Hendrix College

Silver University of Richmond

R E C O G N I T I O N

GRAND PRIZE:

CATEGORY WINNERS

Gold Messiah College

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MEDIUM SCHOOL Honorable Mention Western Carolina University

Bronze Azusa Pacific University

LARGE SCHOOL Honorable Mention University of Oklahoma

Bronze University of Massachusetts Amherst Silver University of New Hampshire Gold University of Missouri

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RETAIL SALES— SINGLE CONCEPT

2013 LOYAL E. HORTON DINING AWARDS

CATEGORY WINNERS MEDIUM SCHOOL

RETAIL SALES—MULTIPLE CONCEPTS/MARKETPLACE

Bronze Azusa Pacific University Silver SUNY at Geneseo

R E C O G N I T I O N

Gold University of Dayton

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LARGE SCHOOL Honorable Mention University of Oregon

Bronze Ball State University Silver University of WisconsinMadison Housing Gold Virginia Tech

GRAND PRIZE:

VIRGINIA TECH With glass walls and grand entrances throughout, Turner Place is a destination dining experience with eight individual restaurants, each with unique themes, décor, food offerings, seating, and music.

The first floor holds 429 seats throughout Jamba Juice, a Southern fare/ chargrill/rotisserie venue, and a wood-fired gourmet pizzeria. The second floor holds 404 seats spread throughout Bruegger’s Bagels, Qdoba Mexican Grill, a European-style café, a gourmet soup and salad venue, and a teppanyaki grill and sushi bar.

The restaurants are a blend of national brands and self-branded concepts that bring many firsts to the university segment and Commonwealth of Virginia. Qdoba and Bruegger’s are the first university-operated of either franchise on a college campus, and Jamba Juice is the first and only one in Virginia.

The restaurants hold amazing highlights for any university campus, and sustainability was incorporated into everything from fittings, to furniture, to food and operations while enhancing the beautiful design. Special considerations were included in the venue design and operations to accommodate the routines, programming, and traditions of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets to compensate for the loss of their beloved “mess hall.” Altogether, Turner Place creates a place to foster community-building and provide student engagement opportunities outside traditional academic space.

2013 LOYAL E. HORTON DINING AWARDS

TUFTS UNIVERSITY Tufts Dining is organized into four types of services: residential dining, retail dining, culinary support, and catering. Catering grosses $1.8 million annually, providing more than 1,500 events, serving 100,000 guests ranging from morning coffee meetings to late night social parties.

Lead by unit manager Eric Hamel, the Tufts Catering team is highly regarded for fabulous food, creativity, and impeccable execution.

University advancement hosts events with as many as 1,200 guests, so when the NACUFS national conference planning committee asked if Tufts would produce the closing banquet for the 2012 conference, Tufts Dining quickly agreed. How better to represent Boston than with a taste of New England? The event proved to be the highlight of the conference, showcasing the expertise of Tufts Dining through exceptional decor, service and cuisine.

SMALL SCHOOL Honorable Mention Andrews University

Bronze Hendrix College Silver Ferrum College Gold United States Military Academy MEDIUM SCHOOL Honorable Mention Johnson County Community College

Bronze Azusa Pacific University University of Northern Colorado Silver University of Richmond Gold College of the Holy Cross LARGE SCHOOL Honorable Mention Colorado State University

Bronze University of Cincinnati Silver Cornell University Gold Tufts University

R E C O G N I T I O N

GRAND PRIZE:

CATEGORY WINNERS

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CATERING— SPECIAL EVENT

2013 LOYAL E. HORTON DINING AWARDS

CATEGORY WINNERS SMALL SCHOOL

Bronze Concordia College Silver Bowie State University

R E C O G N I T I O N

Gold Hendrix College

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MEDIUM SCHOOL

Gold Azusa Pacific University LARGE SCHOOL

Bronze Texas Tech University Silver University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Gold North Carolina State University

CATERING— ONLINE MENU

GRAND PRIZE:

HENDRIX COLLEGE

Hendrix College Catering focuses on providing fresh, delicious, attractive menus with friendly and efficient service. This commitment to excellence for every event provides customers a complete dining experience.

Hendrix College Catering’s website has become even more significant to its operation in recent years as customers utilize the ease of online communication and scheduling as well as the ability to browse the menu and venue options at their convenience.

In order to develop the online menu, catering teams considered the needs of customers, as well as goals for the department. The online menu was designed to provide a variety of price points, and selections to accommodate a range of cuisines, dietary needs, and styles.

In an effort to increase sustainability, the catering team uses locally grown or sourced items when possible and/or cost-effective. In addition, customers have the option of requesting a completely organic and/or local menu for their event.

While the catering team is proud of every event they execute, smaller events allow Hendrix College Catering allow for personal touches and increased creativity with menu offerings and table settings.

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2014 AWARDS AND CONTESTS Individual Award Nominations

Nominations for the Theodore W. Minah Distinguished Service Award, Daryl Van Hook Industry Award, David R. Prentkowski Distinguished Lifetime Member Award, and Student Employee of the Year Award are due January 31, 2014. Learn more at www.nacufs.org/recognition.

FR EE AC TOUGRNEI ST I O N

Student applications are due February 14, 2014. www.nacufs.org/dehaven.

57 57 CCAAM MPPUUSS DDIINNIINNGG TO TODAY DAY

Registration is now open for regional competitions. www.nacufs.org/culinarychallenge.

Entries for the C-Store Best in the Business Awards contest are due March 7, 2014. www.nacufs.org/cstoreawards.

Entries for the Nutrition Awards contests are due April 30, 2014. www.nacufs.org/nutritionawards.

Entries for the Sustainability Awards contest are due January 31, 2014. www.nacufs.org/sustainabilityawards.

Catering—Online Menu entries are due March 31, 2014.

Entries for all other categories are due April 11, 2014. www.nacufs.org/diningawards.

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LONG-DISTANCE COLLABORATION FOR CHANGE AT THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN BULGARIA

By Paul Fairbrook

The American University in Bulgaria (AUBG) opened its doors in June 1991 with a total of 16 full-time faculty members and 208 students.

Today it is a highly respected institution with dozens of full-time faculty members and 1,100 students.

My involvement with AUBG began in 1994 when I was asked to do some pro bono consulting for AUBG’s dining services which resulted, among other things, in a cafeteria system, the purchase of a new dish machine, and the installation of a computerized meal ticket system. In 2010, my wife and I planned a return trip and contacted the university’s president at the time, Dr. David Huweiler, to inform him of our visit.

Subsequent communications revealed AUBG’s plans for a new student center and I once again offered to provide some pro bono consulting and review the food service plans for the new student center.

The AUBG student center was designed to be aesthetically exciting, blending a more traditional look with an ultra-modern ambiance.

IDENTIFYING THE NEED FOR CHANGE For more than 20 years, the university’s dining services were similar to those of other universities in Bulgaria. The main meal was served cafeteria-style at noon, the evening meal was normally a light supper, and a first floor coffee bar served those wishing to buy just a snack and a beverage. Many faculty members from the United States as well as students from Western Europe had difficulty adjusting to this style of dining services that was traditional in Eastern European schools.

The new student center was designed by a Princeton-educated, Bulgarian architect named Dimtcho Tilev. Tilev had designed many of AUBG’s recent structures and the exciting design of the student center showcased his talent.

However, upon reviewing the food service plans for AUBG’s new student center, I realized that the design had not taken into account the drastic changes in college and university food services that had taken placed in the U.S. over the last two decades. For example: food courts instead of straight line cafeteria lines, smaller kitchens and larger serving areas to allow cooking in front of the students, meals like omelettes and burritos prepared to order, exhibition cooking, and grab-and-go refrigerators.

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After reviewing the plans, I suggested to Huweiler and Tilev that they consider revising the existing food service plan and to incorporate some of the ideas currently to be found at most American universities—a suggestion they both readily accepted.

“We want the campus experience to be similar to that of quality American liberal arts institutions, both with respect to academics and student services,” said Huweiler. “We have one of the most diverse campuses anywhere, and we’d like the dining service offerings to reflect the variety of cultures. But we also want to keep the per-meal cost as low as we possibly can since we have many students with severely limited resources.”

DEVELOPING AN ACTION PLAN Changing the course of the project and revising the design required the collaboration of many.

Ken Toong at the University of Massachusetts Amherst agreed to share information from UMass’ new food court, Berkshire Commons, to serve as inspiration for the project. Bob Livermore, the architect who worked on Berkshire Commons, also agreed to help and do a “soft sketch” of the area which Tilev could use as a guide in redesigning the new food court. With the photographs of Berkshire and Bob Livermore’s layout, I hoped to convince the AUBG Administration to make the changes I had recommended.

When arriving at AUBG in August 2010, I showed the materials to the AUBG administration as well as to Tilev and his food service consultant, Rositsa Tradkiitska. All of those present were excited to see the photos from UMass and Tilev agreed to start again and design a modern, American-style food court that would be different from any others so far designed in Bulgarian universities. I left him with specific suggestions of the various service counters that could be incorporated in the new food court. Tilev did a great deal of additional research in Bulgaria and adopted many of the changes he observed in his own country; he also pointed out some of the unique requirements

by Bulgarian Health Authorities (for example, fish had to be prepared in a separate prep room).

THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION In this particular case, the change that occurred in the redesign of AUBG’s dining service plans was as much a matter of good communication as it was a matter of serendipity. The fact that President Huweiler heard of my impending visit and asked me to give him some advice; the fact that the young, brilliant architect was willing to start from scratch in the redesign; the fact that, being retired, I had the time and interest in assisting them—all this contributed to the successful change that occurred. No less amazing was it that I had met the American architect who designed the new Berkshire Commons at UMass and that he was willing to make a significant contribution by sketching out his ideas for the new food court.

Constant communication between me, the university’s president and the architect made it possible that when push came to shove, we were all on the same page. The president knew that I was volunteering my time and wanted him to end up with a truly American dining service; the architect knew that I admired his design and respected his concerns (i.e. to avoid basic structural changes and to work with Bulgarian equipment suppliers).

Finally I knew from our correspondence and the reception that my wife and I received when we arrived at AUBG that everyone was truly ready and willing to listen to my recommendations and to accept the changes which I suggested.

AUBG staff also understood the need for communication to students, faculty, and staff and the importance of getting buy-in from these key audiences. AUBG immediately took steps to help prepare key stakeholders and customers for the coming change, including: the creation of a task force on eating to find out what students like to eat and when; the introduction of exhibition cooking to adjust students and staff to the concept of client cooking through custom service; and an increase in menu advertising.

A SUCCESSFUL CHANGE AUBG’s new food court, which opened in the spring of 2013, is in all probability the most modern facility of its type in all of Eastern Europe. Following the examples of new dining halls in American universities in the United States, Tilev designed a facility with more than

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62 AUBG’s new food court is, in all probability, the most modern facility of its type in all of Eastern Europe.

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Opposite the salad bar is a semi-circular counter from which are served a variety of made-to-order hot food items that are cooked or grilled in front of the students. This exhibition cooking mirrors the current approach to college dining in many of the newly designed food courts in the U.S. From a griddle top, students can order omelettes or other egg dishes to their personal specifications; the counter also serves a variety of grilled and fried items such as hamburgers, chicken cutlets, steaks, fish filets and stir-fried dishes—all prepared directly in front of the students.

Adjacent is a large U-shaped counter which serves a variety of hot food items. In additional to traditional steam table items (e.g. potatoes, vegetables, casseroles), there is a pasta area where the noodles are boiled to-order and served with the clients’ choice of a red (tomato-based) or white (pesto) sauce. There is also a place for homemade lasagna, as well as Bulgarian and other Eastern European specialties. A special section features vegetarian and vegan items. A large pizza oven is directly in back of this counter and a variety of pizzas prepared in the main kitchen are baked in this oven on a continuous basis.

Towards a two-person cashier stand there is an eight-foot sliding door reach-in refrigerator for bottled beverages, and a variety of “grab-andgo” wrapped salads and sandwiches for students who are in a hurry.

The cashier stations are equipped with cash registers that accept computerized meal tickets and the clients use a declining balance system to pay for their food and beverages. The food preparation is divided between a small open kitchen in back of to the food court, as well as other prep rooms located in the basement of the Student Center and connected to the upstairs kitchen by two large elevators.

To run the food court, AUBG hired British food service director Mark Waterhouse, a former chef and restaurant owner who completely revised the food services by taking advantage of the new facilities. The student response has been overwhelmingly positive, with the student body voting Mark Waterhouse their “most popular non-academic staff person at AUBG.” Even better, revenue in the new food court has increased by 25 percent.

LESSONS LEARNED The only way this change could have happened is through effective communication and a group of people willing to participate in the process in an open and collaborative way. I had to express my finding that the entire food service design needed a complete overhaul in an inoffensive, constructive manner. I also needed to convince my clients by showing them photographs of typical modern food courts in American universities. I had to find someone who could sketch out the areas planned for both the kitchen and the food court to reflect the ideas I presented in Bulgaria; the generosity and willingness of Livermore to perform this crucial assignment was a major contributor to the final outcome. The most important challenge, perhaps, was faced by the Bulgarian architect Dimtcho Tilev who needed to accept both the new American ideas as well as respect the local health ordinances conduct extensive research into similar food service installations in Eastern Europe and respect the Bulgarian traditions.

Despite the challenges, the excellent outcome is a testament to how the people involved viewed the idea of change—not as an obstacle, but as an opportunity. u

CHANGE FOR CO L L A B O R AT I O N

As students climb the stairs into the food court, the first station they see is a 25-foot long serpentine salad bar with a variety of salad greens, toppings, the famous native Shopska salad, and fresh and canned fruits. Most of the items on the salad bar come from local vendors, which is in keeping with the increasing concern of university students all over the world for sustainability.

The idea behind the design of the food court and dining room was to design an area which was not only aesthetically exciting, but also was a marriage of a more traditional look with an ultra-modern ambiance. This was accomplished by combining wood-grain finishes with modern stainless steel counters and granite countertops.

The floors—which include slip-proof quarry tile in the kitchen areas and wood floors in the food court and dining rooms—were designed to provide a safe, practical, and warm atmosphere.

The wooden (stacking) chairs and tables with plastic counter tops are also a combination of the practical as well as the aesthetic. Finally the large balcony which wraps around the entire third floor not only provides an exciting view of the city and the mountains but is also practical for outdoor seating in sunny weather.

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a dozen different food counters and a free-flow traffic system which allows diners to select a variety of food and beverage items without having to stand in a cafeteria line.

BRAND NEW IMAGE

A brand new image

UNIVERSITY OF

AT THE MONTANA

By Christina Voyles Director of Marketing, University of Montana Dining Services

In 2013, University of Montana Dining Services decided to tackle a lingering problem with our brand. Our situation was about perception; there was confusion on campus about which of the 23 different dining venues belonged to us (all except one), and confusion over who we were and what services we provided. We also wanted to ensure our campus knew about all the wonderful programming we do, like our nationally recognized UM Farm to College Program. We knew something had to change.

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Before: A collection of unrelated logos for different dining venues contributed to UM Dining’s brand confusion.

After: The new face of UM Dining is modern and unified.

LAY IN G T HE GR OU N DWO R K We wanted to correct any confusion and ensure we were changing with the times and providing students the best possible dining experiences, so we hired a consulting firm, Bakergroup, to help develop and write our marketing plan.

The consultants led the process initially by holding focus groups on campus and conducting intercept interviews and formal interviews with various campus stakeholders (students, faculty, and staff). They also visited various local

The timing of our transition was serendipitous, because the University of Montana was undergoing a rebranding at the same time, and that was helpful in garnering support from our staff for making our own changes. We worked with Mario Schulzke, assistant VP for marketing for UM, who was working on the university rebranding. From the start, the process was about how would we work with Mario and ensure we were changing together.

While we knew there were changes that needed to happen, the Bakergroup report was the catalyst for that change. The data clearly indicated that we didn’t have a cohesive brand identity. To quote directly from UM Students, we were “stuck in the ‘90s” and told that our brand “doesn’t really exist.” While there were many minor changes we made initially (e.g., adding new menu items, pricing changes), there were bigger changes needed. Our meal plan structure was one and rebranding the department and updating our facilities were others.

We spent roughly 10 months from beginning to end, developing logos, getting feedback from Schulzke, students, faculty, and staff. Our new brand was implemented in a celebratory way with a lunch party on August 15, 2013. We invited the campus community to showcase our new logos, uniforms, to sample new items off our catering menu and new menu items in our venues. And then at our August 19 all staff “fall welcome back” meeting we revealed the brand to staff. Our team were excited and very positive about the new look and uniforms. It couldn’t have gone better.

DEVELOPING AN ACT ION PLAN

T HE IM POR TA N C E OF COM M U N IC AT ION

The decision process for making various changes was intuitive; when it involved menu changes, we had our unit managers, associate director, and executive chef working on those. The rebranding process was a bit different, and we purposefully involved as many entities across campus as we could for feedback in the decision making process. Decisions on how the new brand should look were made by many people—feedback from students, faculty, and staff would send us back to the drawing board, we’d adjust and then go back

Getting buy-in from our staff was incredibly important; their opinions mattered and we wanted them to feel part of the process and proud of the changes. For the most part, everyone was interested and excited about changes to our look and logos. It seemed even our own staff agreed we were “stuck in the ‘90s” so there was no argument in making those changes.

We anticipated that getting buy-in on new uniforms, however, would be a bigger challenge

BRAND NEW IMAGE

We received an impressive 500 page report which included interview responses from students, faculty, and staff, competitor price comparison, Web and social media recommendations, hospitality trends, and recommended changes. We had a complete marketing plan for each of our venues, as well as an overriding plan for UM Dining at large.

Suffice it to say, we had a lot of information and detail on exactly what we needed to do!

Now the changes could begin and at this point, we were completely in charge of what we wanted to do; it was thrilling!

for more feedback. At the end of the day, the final decision rested with our marketing department, drawing from as much input as we could get, which was incredibly valuable.

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establishments near campus to determine some of our bigger competition.

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considering they would be wearing them.

Because of that, we knew communication would be vital—both ways. We held meetings to explain the uniforms and then collect their feedback and make any adjustments accordingly. As predicted, there were many questions about why we were now going to have managers and supervisors in uniforms (our practice had previously been to have them wear the same UM Dining t-shirt our students wore). We communicated specific feedback from the Bakergroup assessment which showed that our guests couldn’t tell our supervisors and managers from our students.

Clearly, our guests wanted to know who’s in charge, and we wanted our staff to embrace that and be proud that they are culinary professionals.

That information made the buy-in on uniforms go much smoother with our staff.

The main challenge was when someone was having a difficult time understanding the process. For example, something as simple as one employee questioning the re-branding process at large—“Why do we need new logos? It seems expensive. Why does it matter?” Communication was our key to overcoming those obstacles. It helped explaining the report findings, why it was important for us to push for a more cohesive brand identity, what that meant with regard to our guests and how they felt about us, how important dining on campus is to student life, what it meant fiscally with regard to their dining with us (or not dining with us), and how better telling our story would further entrenched us within the campus community.

LESSONS LEARNED People simply want to know “why.” They may not like the answer, but at the very least it begins the process of accepting the change, their frustrations or fears tend to diminish, their

understanding sets in, and the resistance to change tends to fade.

You will never make everyone happy; considering that, you can’t be too pushy about changes either. Get buy-in early. Communicate often about why you’re doing what you are and the results you expect from the changes. Listen to feedback from your staff and when appropriate, use that feedback. If you’re not going to use their feedback, communicate why.

I also found that it was important as director of marketing to give them my perspective on what I felt their part in the changes were. At our fall allstaff meeting, I talked about staff being a critical part of our brand. They make up UM Dining; they are in our venues daily, helping students, faculty, and staff. Our guests’ experience of UM Dining isn’t just about a logo—it’s how Margo in our residential dining room knows nearly every student’s name; it’s how Keith makes their soups from scratch and can be heard signing from the kitchen; it’s the students pride in our on-campus garden, our UM Farm to College Program, the “eatertainment” events we put on, and other services we provide to make their lives on campus more enjoyable.

All these pieces come together—a new logo, implementing marketing plans, how our staff are with our guests—that’s all part of the brand.

And the point in making changes to get our story out there is simply to change the way we were being viewed and ensure the campus knows all the fantastic things we do. Keeping that thought process alive in the minds of our staff is what helped us make all the changes we needed to make. u

Change can involve anything ranging from an organization-wide restructuring or getting a new POS-system to something as simple as having to adapt because a product you ordered didn’t arrive or an employee who was assigned to work didn’t show up. As a result, you have to change your entire organizational structure, revamp your cashiering procedures manual, or simply change today’s menu or work schedule.

Regardless of the scope of the change, your ability to adapt to a new situation is critical to success, both for your organization and for you as a foodservice professional.

FSMI participant Debby Bridges gets hands-on during the “Pizza, Sub & BBQ” challenge.

The NACUFS institute programs are designed to provide mid- or senior-level foodservice managers with the core competencies they need to advance their careers and strengthen their foodservice programs. To prepare participants for some of the variants they will likely experience in their day-to-day operations, most institutes include a group project that mimics a likely campus dining experience. The Foodservice Management Institute (FSMI) in particular is known for also pushing the limits in testing the adaptability of participants.

Similar to other institutes, FSMI starts out with participants being assigned to project teams in which they will work throughout the week.

E D U C AT I O N N AC U F S

By Lori Mason NACUFS Director of Education

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PREPARING TODAY’S FOODSERVICE PROFESSIONALS

FOR CHANGE

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The typical daily assignment is to apply the information covered by that day’s instructors to a hypothetical case study. This format is an effective way for adults to learn, since it requires that they think critically about the information presented, apply it to the situation or problem outlined, and then prepare a well-thought out solution or recommendation.

At FSMI, another curve-ball is thrown at the participants mid-week. Without providing too much of the details, we can tell you that work teams are pulled aside on day three to put their learning to the test in a hands-on experience called “Pizza, Sub, and BBQ.” Christopher Mejia, chef manager at SUNY-Geneseo, attended the 2013 FSMI, held at Rich Products Corporation

for what we face day to day in our foodservice operations,” Mejia concludes.

Other participants in the program have echoed his concern about the extra workload during this particular institute, but ultimately, most agree that the activity is extremely worthwhile and realistic regarding what they experience back in their operations.

Kristen Hasan, assistant manager of Pavilion at Dobbs at the University of Missouri attended the institute in 2012, and says that she still relies on the knowledge and skills she gained at FSMI to help her adapt to change. “We began the planning process this year for a brand new dining facility slated to open in 2017. Just the

Regardless of the scope of the change, your ability to adapt to a new situation is critical to success, both for your organization and for you as a foodservice professional. in Buffalo, New York. It was his first institute, and he describes how this additional project initially caught him off guard: “At first, being given the Pizza, Sub, BBQ project in the middle of the other project seemed insane. I thought we had enough things to do! But the project as a whole was very fun and rewarding; the entire reason I’m in the foodservice industry is because no matter how stressed, how complicated, how busy and insane the job gets, at the end of the day when people are fed and full and happy, I’m happy.”

“Our team came together as strangers on the first day, and by day two we were working together to meet our goals, just like at our jobs at home. When day three came and the goals changed, and new goals were introduced, we still were there together making sure things got done. I can’t imagine a better preparation

basic experience at FSMI of planning a business from the ground up prepared me for the process of brainstorming, planning, and envisioning this new unit,” said Hasan. “Similar to other universities, this year we have had to change how we schedule students and temporary staff to accommodate a new rule of 28 hours per person for non-benefit-eligible staff. It took some creative thinking to prepare a plan that would provide the same level of coverage as we had when temps could work 40 hours per week.”

Mejia, Hasan, and numerous other institute graduates regularly express how appreciative they are of the learning experiences at the NACUFS educational institutes, indicating that the programs have contributed to their being better equipped for the operational components of the job, as well as preparing them the inevitable change they experience in their operations and their careers. u

THE INSTITUTE PROGRAMS The institute programs as a whole cover the core competencies identified as critical to success in the collegiate foodservice profession. They are available exclusively to NACUFS members, and those interested in participating must submit an application for selection and scholarship consideration. To learn more about the application, selections, and scholarship process, visit www.nacufs.org/institutes.

17 Host School Application Deadline for Foodservice Management Internships 24 Student Application Deadline for Foodservice Management Internships 22-25 Foodservice Directors Symposium 31

Deadline for National Recognition Award Nominations

31

Sustainability Award Entries Due

FEBRUARY 2014 14

Student Application Deadline for

Clark E. DeHaven Scholarships

23-26 Continental Regional Conference

MARCH 2014 2-4

Midwest Regional Conference

7

Deadline for Summer Institute Applications

7

C-Store Award Entries Due

19-22 Mid-Atlantic/Northeast Regional Conference 24-26 Southern Regional Conference 31 Deadline for Loyal E. Horton Dining Award Entries, Category 6

APRIL 2014 3-5

Pacific Regional Conference

11 Deadline to Register for Operating Performance Benchmarking Survey 11 Deadline for Loyal E. Horton Dining Award Entries, Categories 1-5 30

Nutrition Award Entries Due

MAY 2014 17-20 National Restaurant Association Show 18

NACUFS Reception at NRA Show

30

Registration Deadline for the National Conference

C A L E N DA R

JANUARY 2014

N AC U F S

calendar

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