January 2015 UTD Dining Recap

January 2015 Review Chartwells at The University of Texas

01 Associate Highlights

-New Resident District Manager -YouFirst Associate of the Quarter

Shannon Mariani Resident District Manager

Shannon Mariani is the new Resident District Manager for UT Dallas Dining Services. Shannon brings more than twenty years of food service leadership to the team, fifteen of which in higher education. Shannon was most recently with Aramark at the University of Houston, where he served as the Director of Operations. Shannon was also the Food Service Director at the University of Texas at Tyler and worked for UTT prior to that position. Shannon’s familiarity with the UT System will be invaluable at UTD as well as his experience leading a dining program at a large university.

Shannon is a soccer and Dallas Cowboys enthusiast, and enjoys spending time with his family.

Welcome to UT Dallas, Shannon!

Sherry Shepherd

Retail Manager & YouFirst Associate of the Quarter Sherry Shepherd has been selected as the YouFirst associate of the quarter for UT Dallas Dining services.

Sherry was nominated for her team-minded attitude and willingness to help others. Sherry has been with Compass Group since 2003 and has aspirations to be involved in upper-level leadership. She is passionate about customer service and recognition for going beyond job duties. During the ice storm in 2013, Sherry played a vital role in ensuring students were fed, despite living 30+ minutes away in Mesquite. She says she focuses on the “small stuff” in order to make a big difference in patrons and her associates. The nomination will put Sherry against other associates in the Chartwells South Central Region for regional and national recognition. The UTD Dining team is proud to have Sherry on board and hopes for great success with this nomination!

“Sherry Shepherd is amazing at what she does for the university! She is kind, energetic, and dedicated to her staff, the UT Dallas students, and all of the patrons of the Comet Café. If I had to describe her in one word, it would be irreplaceable!” - Tineil Lewis, Assistant Director of Student Organizations “I have known Sherry Shepherd for more than two years, and have worked with and collaborated with her on a number of student activities projects as they relate to the UT Dallas Student Union & Activities Advisory Board (SUAAB). Sherry as a retail manager and just a wonderful person goes above and beyond. Customer service is her forte. Ms. Shepherd’s dedication to quality, her strong work ethic, and the desire to be an innovator will make her an outstanding candidate for star associate for UT Dallas Dining.” -Jonathan “GNO” White, Assistant Director of Student Activities

02 Catering Highlights

- Chancellor Visit - Lecture Series

- Judy Snelling Retirement

After a restful winter break, the beginning of 2015 opened with a few high exposure events for the Comet Catering team. The year started off with a campus visit by the UT System Chancellor, Admiral William H. McRaven. All meals on campus during his visit were taken care of by the Comet Catering team. The menu for the day included a spinach & Boston bibb salad, roasted chicken breast with a red wine and mushroom glaze, sautéed broccolini and white chocolate mousse with a mixed berry parfait for dessert. The menu was well-received, and Mrs. McRaven especially enjoyed the menu.

Having been on many university campuses, she was very impressed to learn that the UT Dallas catering team was responsible for the meal and praised the team for a job well done.

The Comet Catering team also served at the ATEC Lecture Series event featuring Lincoln Wallen from DreamWorks Animation. Cedar plank salmon, mushroom risotto, braised lemon garlic brussels sprouts and apple spice cake were on the menu for the event. The catering team receive compliments about the events, including one from Rena Piper in the President’s Office, “I want to highlight and applaud the efforts made by Chartwells...the catering team did an amazing job with last minute adjustments to the menu....it was a wonderful team collaboration on all parts.”

A celebration of Judy Snelling’s career was also part of the catering calendar in January. Special desserts, including one from her own recipe, were served along with a slideshow of Judy’s accomplishments and family members.

Chancellor Visit Lecture Series

Judy Snelling Retirement

03 Residential Highlights -Healthy Comet Choice

UT Dallas Dining partnered with the UT Dallas Dietitian, Sara Asberry, to create the “Healthy Comet Choice” program. This program consists of five healthy comet choice symbols displayed throughout the dining hall. When selected together, these symbols represent a well-balanced meal composed of dairy, starches, fruits, vegetables, and proteins. Each week, UTD Dining Executive Chef Gene Christiano sends the upcoming week’s menu and webtrition information to UTD’s Dietitian, Sara Asberry. Ms. Asberry then selects options to create well-balanced, colorful options for each meal in the dining hall. Those selections are indicated by an identifier next to the product identifier in the Dining Hall.

In order to educate campus about the new program, UT Dallas and dining services partnered together to create summary videos about the program. Filming took place at Dining Hall West with food being served in the Dining Hall that day. The videos include an introduction to the program and five additional videos going over the specific food categories and their benefits. Videos are posted on online via social media as well as on TVs throughout campus.

Additionally, a new nutrition stand is set-up at Dining Hall West with various nutrition brochures provided by Ms. Asberry, along with a brochure covering the Healthy Comet Choice program.

Video Filming

Program Brochure Want to eat healthy but don’t know where to start?

We’ve got your dining hall roadmap!

UTD Dining is excited to introduce an easier way to make healthy choices in your dining halls. You will see 5 Healthy Comet Choice symbols displayed throughout the dining hall which represent a well-balanced meal consisting of dairy, starches, fruits, vegetables and proteins. The 5 symbols are color-coded and will be displayed next to items which are selected for each meal by Sara Asberry, UTD's Registered Dietitian from the Student Wellness Center, to offer you an easy way to put together a well-balanced meal. The most balanced plates are colorful, so grab a plate and you are well on your way! Enjoy!

VEGETABLE

COMET CHOICE BLUE | DAIRY

RED | FRUITS

Dairy products are a key source of calcium and vitamin

Eat fruits whole as opposed to juice. This will ensure

D. The Dairy category is comprised of cheese, yogurt,

that you are maximizing your fiber and nutrient

& milk. Choose dairy products that are fat-free or

intake. Aim for TWO servings of fruit each day.

reduced fat to maximize your heart health.

YELLOW | STARCHES

GREEN | VEGETABLES

VE

G E TA B L E

PURPLE | PROTEIN The Protein category is comprised of all meat, fish,

The Vegetable category is comprised of the

poultry, beans, eggs, and nuts. It’s important to focus

The starch category is comprised of breads, pasta, rice,

non-starchy vegetables. This includes broccoli, Brussel

on choosing lean proteins. This means they are lower

cereals, and starchy vegetables. This includes potatoes

sprouts, carrots, leafy greens, zucchini, green beans,

in saturated fat and healthier for your heart. Lean

and corn. Focus on making sure you choose whole

bell peppers, cucumbers, onions, mushrooms, and

proteins include chicken breast, turkey, baked fish,

grains. Whole grains include whole wheat breads and

so much more! Aim for THREE servings of vegetables

roasted almonds, beans, and tofu product.

pastas, brown rice, and corn tortillas.

each day.

04 Retail Highlights

-Papa John’s Limited Time Offer

-New Einstein’s Saturday Hours -Pub Happy Hour

For most Americans, pizza is a given at any Super Bowl party. To make sure UTD students didn’t miss out on that tradition, Colleen Bohannon, Assistant Retail Director overseeing Papa John’s, put together a special for UTD students.“Traditional Papa John’s stores did a promotion with online ordering and the game. Since we don’t have that capability, I still wanted to make sure people got a great deal” Colleen stated.

Colleen created a week-long limited time offer to get students excited about the game and bring traffic to the Papa John’s on campus. The promotion got students a large thin-crust pepperoni pizza for $8.99. The special was a huge hit, bringing an additional $2,139 in sales for the week and selling 238 pizzas.

Einstein Bros. Bagels on campus is now open on Saturdays, serving students taking classes and faculty working over the weekend. Until IHOP opens later in the year, Einstein’s is the only traditional breakfast option on the northeast side of campus. In the three Saturdays that Einstein’s was open in January, sales averaged $320.

The Pub also introduced Happy Hour on Thursdays from 5pm-7pm. Patrons will enjoy $2 chips & salsa and $2 Pabst Blue Ribbon beers. So far, sales during the period have steadily grown each week as word of the promotion spreads throughout campus.

PI Z Z A

LARGE THIN CRUST PEPPERONI Jan 26-Feb 1

速

8

.99

happy hour at

THE PUB

Thursdays 5pm-7pm $2 Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer $2 Chips & Salsa

05 Social Media Updates

- Facebook Page Likes -UTD Dining -The Pub

-Twitter Followers

UTD Dining Facebook 781

previ o

767 us

1.83%

The Pub Facebook

previous

2,223

119 2,

4.90%

UTD Dining Twitter

previou

328

98 s2

10.0%