INDEX Page 1: Introduction Page 2-8: Dining Directors Page 9-20: Before & After 11: Dining Hall West 13: Einstein Bros. Bagels 15: Papa John’s & Outtakes 17: Create 19: Outtakes Wall Mall
Page 21-24: Catering Events Page 25-28: Financial Page 29-30: Social Media Updates
Summer 2014 in Review Chartwells at The University of Texas at Dallas
Summer 2014 Review
The summer months of 2014 were full of transition, construction, new faces, events and most importantly great advances at UTD Dining locations! While the summer months were challenging at times, a huge amount of growth was experienced internally within the UTD Dining team as well as all the dining locations on campus. Enjoy the look back on what’s been and what’s coming!
Meet Your Directors
The next few spreads encompass a photo and brief personal bio of each director at UTD Dining.
Bob Agee
Bob began his career on the Oregon Coast as a Chef’s Assistant and Dining Room Manager at Neptune’s Wharf Restaurant in Newport, Oregon. Bob took his first Resident Dining Manager position at Arizona State University’s Palo Verde Main Dining Hall, which served sorority women. He progressively assumed more responsibility as Food Service Director at Arizona Western College and Willamette University. He eventually returned to Arizona State where he stayed for nine years. During that time, he served as a supervisor for a dining hall serving 5,500 residents and was then promoted to Retail Food Service Director, overseeing $12 million in retail and catering sales. As Retail FSD, Bob managed catering for all Sun Devils football and all other athletic events on campus. After Arizona State, he moved to Denver, Colorado as the Dining Director at University of Denver and became District Manager over Montana Wyoming North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska. Since then, Bob has been at Georgetown and Covenant Private Colleges. In 2006, Bob moved to Texas to serve as Food Service Director at The University of Texas at Dallas and seen dramatic growth in both the residential and retail programs during his tenure. Bob has catered to many stars including Madonna, Kenny Rogers, The Who, Barbara Streisand, The Rolling Stones, The Supremes and many others in the Activity Center and Sun Devil Stadium. Bob has been married for forty years with four children and four grandchildren and currently resides in McKinney, Texas.
Colleen Bohannon
Colleen Bohannon has been a part of Compass Group since 2012. She started working for Thompson Hospitality as a floor attendant during her undergraduate education. During her undergraduate studies, she was an Industrial Technology major but she then later discovered that her passion was not for engineering. As time went on, she discovered that she not only loved to live a healthy lifestyle by exercising and eating well but she also liked to cook. She then changed her major to Food Service Restaurant Management and has been in love ever since. She is now the Assistant Director of Retail at the University of Texas at Dallas. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Food Service Restaurant Management from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. With her degree she was accepted into the nine month Manager in Training program at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. As an Assistant Retail Director at The University of Texas at Dallas, Colleen will be managing two brand new concepts opening in fall 2014: a Papa John’s and Outtakes location located next to West Dining Hall. Within her department she assists with scheduling, hiring, training and more! In addition to her hectic schedule, she is a loving mother to a beautiful six year old daughter, Kristian (Kris). “She is the most intelligent little girl I have ever met and she amazes me with the things she does & says every day but most importantly she is mommy’s little princess.”
William Boyd
William Boyd is a highly motivated Culinarian with three years of experience in the food service industry. He graduated from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Dallas with Highest Honors and has been recognized by the College for his continued achievements post-graduation. Prior to moving to the culinary field, William spent 8 years in the hospitality world managing hotels. His background is in retail and hospitality management. He was recently promoted to Assistant Retail Director from his former position as Sous Chef for UT Dallas Dining. He truly enjoys the many facets of his job and the team he works with. In this role he is able to interact with the university staff and student body, getting to know their dietary needs and desires. He gets to assist in menu planning and execution, creating SOPs for the operation, and working side by side with his staff to develop and train them. The two years he has spent at the UT Dallas since graduation has allowed him to grow in his culinary knowledge as well as gain a strong hold on the business. In his new position with retail operations, he will provide stronger culinary support to the current and new venues on campus. He loves being in the social setting and keeping himself up to date on the current culinary trends.
Gene Christiano
Gene Christiano, Executive Chef, responsible for managing 13.5 million for UTD. He graduated with A.A. in Hospitality and Restaurant Management from, El Centro College (1994-1997), Awarded Texas Chef Association Apprentice of the year (1997), Studied Cultural Cuisine and Wine Pairing, Culinary Institute of America Napa Valley California (2009). Gene has worked in all aspects of the industry from mass production with Central Market and Mary Kay to Country Clubs and free standing restaurants. He has a strong knowledge and understanding diverse menu writing and is trend setter when planning Residential Menus. He is currently a Chartwells Executive Chef at the University of Texas at Dallas and enjoys embracing diversity and has many programs that emulate different culture trends at UTD. His hands-on approach gives him the ability to motivate staff and is a respected leader in his department. When not working he enjoys spending time with his wife, Amanda and two children, Graham and Quinn. Other passions when not at work include Gardening, cooking Texas BBQ, and building his pallet in wine tasting.
Antoine Cooper
As one of Compass Group/Chartwells newest members, Antoine Cooper brings a wealth of experience covering multiple disciplines. A native of Angleton, TX, Antoine served five proud years as a Finance and Accounting Specialist in the United States Army both domestically and abroad. During that service time, Antoine completed undergraduate studies at Columbus State University in Columbus, GA before transitioning into specialty retail management with GameStop Corporation. At GameStop, he was exposed to many experiences from new store openings to marketing to multi-unit management. Following his tenure with GameStop, Antoine made his first venture into food service management with Jason’s Deli. While with Jason’s, he wore many hats from daily store operations, to facilities management and construction, to accounting. Antoine then went back into government service by working in the Audit department with the Internal Revenue Service. While with the IRS, he helped to audit multiple Fortune 500 companies, but soon realized his true passion was food service and management. After realizing his dream, he came back into the industry with IHOP. After a successful two-year stint managing a fast moving concept with IHOP, Antoine comes to the University of Texas at Dallas and Chartwells focused on continued growth and professional development. When he isn’t working, Antoine enjoys spending time with his better half Phoenecia and his six wonderful children. And while they all keep him busy, he still tries to find time to watch the occasional college football game and play a good pick-up basketball game.
Dustin Davidson
Chef Dustin Davidson, of the University of Texas at Dallas, is well versed in the art of culinary. Through his 16 years in the Food service industry, Chef Dustin has been President George W. Bush’s private caterer, Head Banquet Resort Chef for The Gaylord Texan, Corporate Foodservice Manager for Central Market and Executive Sous Chef for a multi-million dollar operation. With Chef Dustin’s A.A degree in Culinary and Finance Certification, he continues to contribute and organize every unit that he is a part of. After spending years moving up in Corporate Central Market, Dustin was hired on at UTD to be part of an innovative culinary team. In the past two years, Chef Dustin & Team has transitioned UTD Dining from out of the Box cooking to Batch Fresh cooking adding whole grains, local produce & a hummus bar. With Chef Dustin’s Mediterranean cooking back ground, UTD’s menu has dramatically changed becoming more diverse.
Kerry Grubb
Kerry has many years of experience in the Restaurant and Hospitality business. He was born and Dallas and grew up in Richardson. He attended classes at UTD back in the days when it was Juniors/Seniors only and the campus was just a few buildings. He started his career with Marriott Hotels and helped open the Hyatt Regency Dallas. From there he was promoted to Kansas City for what he thought would be for 1 or 2 years. Twenty-two years later he came back to Dallas! While in Kansas City, he also worked for the Hilton and the Ritz-Carlton hotel companies. He then got in to the restaurant industry almost by accident. He worked for a Kansas City based restaurant group for 15 years. It was a steakhouse chain that grew to multiple locations and concepts. He was the General Manager of a fine dining steak and seafood restaurant that was part of a 250 million dollar redevelopment project in an 85 year old train station. The company won multiple awards and when Kerry left they were the number one rated steakhouse in Kansas City on Opentable.com. He moved back to Dallas to be closer to family. He worked for Macaroni Grill for 13 months as a bar and catering manager. Most recently Kerry was with DRG Concepts for 2 years as the General Manager of the Dallas Fish Market, a fine dining seafood and sushi restaurant. Kerry is relatively new to Chartwells and is excited for the growth that is happening on campus.
Shadaya Haddix
Shadaya Haddix-Neathery has been the Assistant Retail Director at the University of Texas at Dallas for two years. She received her Associates Degree in Business from Riverside Community College in Riverside California and is certified in Restaurant management. With her degree, she worked as an assistant manager for IHOP in Riverside, California for four years; Restaurant manager for Denny’s in Redlands, California for one year and then was recruited by the Vice President of Operations for Black Angus Steakhouse in Ontario, California, as manager and was promoted within two years to Assistant General Manager. Shadaya moved to the great state of Texas in 2011 with her husband and worked for On the Border as hospitality and bar manager before joining Chartwells. Within her department, she manages all retail locations under the direction of the Retail Director. Her areas of responsibilities include Subway, Einstein Bagels, Visitors Bookstore Coffee Shop, Coffee Corner and Novel Brew. She is also responsible for the hiring, training, and scheduling of all retail staff. In her spare time she is developing her skills on her passions long dream on becoming a wedding planner. She is the mother to a beautiful two year old daughter named Hayden. She is the center of her universe. She has been married to a wonderful man named Seth for seven years. He is planning on joining a local police department in the fall. They enjoy traveling, movies and comedy shows.
Arianna Henderson
Arianna Henderson is the Account Director for Chartwells at the UT Dallas campus. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Finance with a minor in Spanish from the University of North Texas. While at UNT, Arianna was on the Dean’s List and was also “Chair of the Interested Ladies” for Sigma Lambda Beta. After graduation, she began her career as the Route Account Supervisor for Gruma Corporation where she oversaw commission payments for 350 independent distributors and supervised 7 employees in the 2nd largest territory, northern California. A surprise phone call from the District Manager for Aramark led to a small campus visit that resulted in a job offer by the end of the day. Arianna became the office manager reporting 2.5 million in sales and took over the responsibility for the cash room and cashiers for the Comet Café. Once the contract with Aramark ended, she helped manage a smooth transition from Aramark to Chartwells, as she was retained in her position with the new contractor. Since her time with Chartwells, Arianna has gone from reporting 3 million to 9.5 million in sales. Named the ABC Hourly Associate in 2010; the Be A Star Associate of the Month in July of 2011, and in March of 2012; she also received the Outstanding Achievement Award with the Compass Community Council. She is married with one son, the family loves to create memories. Being outdoors, camping, fishing, and taking road trips. In her spare time, she loves to volunteer for a great cause, read, sew, knit, and practice yoga. With the expansion Arianna is looking forward to the exciting opportunities to learn and grow along with the rest of the UTD management team.
Alison Jenkins
Alison graduated from Baylor University (Sic ‘em!) in fall 2009 earning her BBA as a double major in Management and Marketing, and began her food service career with ARAMARK in Nacogdoches, Texas. When the opportunity came to join the Chartwells team at UT Dallas in 2012, Alison jumped as the opportunity and has not looked back. As the Marketing Director, Alison supports all the dining departments on campus: retail, residential and catering as well as managing customer feedback and satisfaction. Since becoming the Marketing Director for UTD dining in fall 2012, Alison has improved the overall customer experience with the introduction of new programs and has also increased exposure of the dining program to the campus. Additionally, Alison manages the food committee comprised of high profile and large impact individuals on campus, including Student Government and Student Affairs. The marketing department also oversees the implementation of the Chartwells semi-annual survey, and UTD has led the South Central region in campus capture rates since Alison’s arrival. Alison has been married to her husband, James Jenkins, for 3.5 years and they love being in the Dallas area. They enjoy traveling, going to concerts, photography and attending college sporting events.
Le Thurman
Le Thurman is the Director of Board Operations at the University of Texas at Dallas. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He started his food service career with Luby’s Cafeteria. He worked in seven different locations in the Houston area before being transferred to Little Rock Arkansas. He spent the first 10 years of the new millennium as a General Manager in Carrolton and Dallas. He took a new challenge after 14 years with Luby’s buy helping to reopen Highland Park Cafeteria. Looking for a new adventure he became the retail director at Texas Women’s University. This brought him to his current exiting adventure of working at the University of Texas at Dallas. In his current position he oversees the dining hall operation as well as help brining the new dining hall on line. He has been married for to Erika Thurman for nearly 20 years and has 3 children and two grandchildren.
Valerie Vo
Valerie Jane Vo is the Director of Catering at the University of Texas at Dallas. She received her Associates Degree in Hospitality Tourism Management from Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College, Ashland, Wisconsin and her Micro Computer/Office Assistant Diploma from Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College, Superior, Wisconsin. She has worked as Resident Dining Director for Chartwells at the University of Superior for six years. She then joined Compass/Levy Restaurants the General Manager, of the Suites at the Excel Energy Center, the home of the Minnesota Wild-NHL Hockey. There she got to show her catering talent to the likes of many high known performers such as Elton John and Adel, and speakers such as President Clinton and Senator John McCain and countless athletes. Prior to moving to the great state of Texas, she worked for Aramark at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Campus, as the Catering Operations Director overseeing Catering that generated 4 million dollars in sales. At the University of Texas at Dallas, Valerie oversees the Catering Department, managing approximately 1.1 million dollars in sales. Within her department, she manages the sales coordinators, captains, and servers, scheduling, hiring, and training of the catering staff. In addition, she works diligently on menu selections, new concepts and creations. She is a mother of an 11 year old boy, Jaxson (Jax). He is what makes her world go around. He has the biggest brown eyes and the most wonderful sense of humor (it gets it from his mother). She has been married to her high school sweetheart Duc, for 14 years and they enjoy lots and lots traveling and great steak dinners together!
Before & After
The following pages provide a visual of the progress experienced at dining locations throughout the summer. With the introduction of all the new dining locations, campus has been an exciting place.
The building of Dining Hall West was a major project that helped to fill a huge need on campus. With the construction of the fifth residence hall in six years, the dining program needed additional space to feed the quickly expanding campus resident population. The 750 seats in Dining Hall West have been put to good use so far since opening in mid-August. Its prime location in the residential neighborhood on campus makes it easily accessible, increasing meal counts, particularly at dinner, compared to years past. The open seating area makes the location feel even larger, and students are really enjoying the new stations, like the Wok and yogurt areas.
Construction of Dining Hall West
Exterior view of Dining Hall West
Interior View of Dining Hall West
3D Rendering
Dr. Jamison and Bob Fishbein celebrating the New Dining Hall with its first three visitors.
Einstein Bros. Bagels was an exciting addition to campus and helps to fill the ever-growing needs for breakfast options across campus. The closeproximity to the residential neighborhood, as well as its location in the brand new Parking Structure 3 has made the location high-demand thus far. The UTD Einstein’s location alone is serving about 500 bagels daily, which will equate to over 80,000 bagels served by the end of the spring semester. Einstein’s is one of two locations to accept call-ahead orders, which is becoming popular with faculty and staff.
New Parking Structure
3D Rendering
The New UTD Einstein’s Crew Soft Opening
PI Z Z A
The brand new C-Store and Papa John’s is located right next to Dining Hall West and is the first retail location on campus to be open seven days a week. The location’s close proximity to the residential neighborhood makes it a hightraffic location, especially after the dining hall closes. Since opening, the most popular items sold in the C-Store have been the Icees, and f’real products, and the delicious Papa John’s pizza aroma brings in patrons for pizzas. The Papa John’s is also accepting call-ahead orders, even during its late night hours until 1:00 am Monday-Thursday.
Outtakes Quick Cuisine 3D Rendering
Outtakes & Papa John’s Construction
f’real Smoothie & Milkshake Machine
Papa John’s 3D Rendering
Papa John’s Employee Training
The first of its kind at a Chartwells Higher Education account, the Create location is a fresh new concept offering made-to-order salads and potatoes. In the pre-renovated Student Union Outtakes location, a salad and potato bar were the highlights of the area, needing to constantly be refilled. That popularity drove the decision to open Create and allow for higher quality ingredients and a cycle menu for toppings and proteins. Create opened in early September 2014 and has been selling an average on over 90 potatoes and 50 salads each day.
Create -Before (Chef’s Table & Papa Johns)
Create During Construction
Create Opening First Created Potato at opening
Though there was not and major construction, there is no doubt that Outtakes - Wall Mall is new and improved. With a fresher look and more options, Outtakes provides patrons with a simple solutions for snacking or meals in-between class. The brand new hummus bar was a requested made by students and has been a popular choice since opening.
Outtakes -Wall Mall Before Construction
Outtakes -Wall Mall During Revision
Catering Events
Cometcatering
While construction was happening in the world of retail and residential, the Catering team still made great events happen throughout the summer, from small coffee breaks to large Presidential receptions. Despite lacking a Catering Chef, the catering team was still able to pull off their largest summer to-date, feeding patrons at more than 450 events.
New Faculty Reception
National Youth Leadership Forum
Millionaire’s Unit Dinner
JSOM Lawrence Wright Book Signing
JSOM Hooding
JSOM Art Show
New Faculty Training
Chartwells Associate Orientation
Symposium
Veteran Graduation
Social Media Updates
The infograph on the next page illustrates our growth on various social media outlets over the last year. Digital Marketing provides an easily accessible portal that allows us to increase awareness by reaching a wider audience more efficiently.