introducing Washington University in St. Louis East End in the 1900’s Photo by Washington University Photographic Services Collection, Washington University Libraries, Department of Special Collections
Entry Form
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Essay A major component of the Washington University East End transformation was the development of Parkside Cafe in the Schnuck Pavilion. With its towering glass windows giving ample natural light, Parkside offers breath-taking views of the iconic Brookings Hall, site of the historic 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. Parkside’s unique, modern, and creative ambiance brings a splash of the future to a vision that’s been around since 1900. Parkside Cafe is smashing financial expectations as it embodies the latest dining trends. An ever-changing, multicultural menu that reflects seasonality, dietary inclusion, and an efficient ordering process that gives valuable time back to our students and guests. “Introducing Parkside” not only serves as a submission for the Loyal E. Horton Dining Awards, but also as a love letter to a vision, a dining program, students, and the St. Louis community.
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Table of Contents Menu and Meal 4-17 Facility Design and Merchandising 18-23 Marketing 24-29 Nutrition and Wellness 30-35 Additional Considerations 36-49
Please enjoy a visual tour through each criteria! Each design element plays a part in the vision of Parkside.
It’s hard to keep track of so many WOW factors! Be on the look out as we showcase some of our favorite Parkside moments with this symbol!
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Menu and Meal Our ever-changing menu is made from scratch with fresh, local, and seasonal ingredients. Its purpose was to not only manifest the trends in the dining industry, but also meet the needs of our guests while displaying a variety of texture, color, temperature, and flavor. Our design exemplifies minimalism to not only allow the food to be the star of the show, but to further the concept behind Parkside, which can be described as sustainable and ahead of its time.
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Monday Special, Masala Curry Tofu
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Kale Caesar Salad
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Menu Seasonality The salads are just one sub-genre of our menu that goes through its own 3 week rotation. They reflect the latest trends amongst our demographic as well as the seasonality of the outside world. This is why the 3 week rotation gets put under the scope every semester.
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Daily Specials The menu we opened with in the Fall was a reflection of what was happening seasonally. It also laid the bricks for what kind of food students and guests could come to expect from Parkside.
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When Spring came around it was time to switch things up! We kept some of the favorites, but made sure to add a unique variety that captured the needs of our guests.
“The smiles are always free.� -Arthur Curtis
WashU culture has been defined by its academic standards, a beautiful campus and its ever changing carvery wraps, which were made famous across campus by Arthur Curtis. Arthur prepared custom wraps at WashU for 22 years, and is a familiar, welcoming face.
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Student dressing up her Beyond Burger on a vegan bun
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We're #Trending Unique, chef-driven, and #trending...just a few words to describe the rest of the Parkside menu which is why the Beyond Burger is a must-have!
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Gateway to Flavor
Meets the East End
With the help of student input, we were able to bring a slice of the Lou’ to Parkside. The menu was developed to put a focus on local favorites such as toasted ravioli, gooey butter cake, pork steaks, and more.
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Toasted Ravioli (t ravs in St. Louis slang) are a must-have every Tuesday and Thursday!
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Signature Recipes Recipe Production Log of St. Louis Style Ribs Special
Grill “I love when we run St. Louis style specials, especially when it’s BBQ. The whole building smells amazing and brings a strong sense of city pride to the campus.” -Bill Jackson
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Signature Recipes Recipe Production Log of Masala Curry Tofu Special
Bake
“The diversity in our specials is really important to students and guests. They especially love the plant-based ones!� -Porsche Warren
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Temperature Log
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Kitchen Safety Our last Safety Audit Results
We have internal safety audits done by our managers that take place bi-weekly. Managers from all over campus will go to a different unit to offer a fresh set of eyes and ensure everything is safe and clean for our guests as well as our staff. Twice a year we have third-party audit on our food and employee kitchen safety done by a company that specializes in safety standards.
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“Some of our most impactful and enjoyable moments are around good food. When you take the convening power of good food and great company, open up the walls to let in the surrounding landscape, you get the magic of Parkside Cafe.� - Dedric Carter, PhD, MBA
Vice Chancellor for Operations and Technology Transfer Professor of Engineering Practice
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Facility Design and Merchandising Parkside Cafe is unique, efficient, and imaginative. It’s the first concept on campus to use a 100% mobile ordering platform, which is giving valuable time back to our students and campus community. Parkside was designed with out-of-classroom collaboration in mind, giving students the space they need to continue their work. With its towering floor-to-ceiling windows and plenty of natural light, the space is uncluttered and puts the focus on the food!
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TheFlow Flow
Kiosks and mobile ordering were an absolute must for Parkside to keep it on track and on trend. Students and guests are directed towards the eight kiosks to place their orders then go down the line to watch their ticket make its way to the designated pick-up area.
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1
trendy
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creative
3 efficient 21
Presentation Our guests see an assembly of delicious items right in front of them
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Merchandising In October, we inaugurated the 15th Chancellor, Andrew D. Martin. Parkside introduced that celebration by creating a signature coffee roast with our friends at Kaldi’s Coffee Company. We also introduced a new student blend. The Bear’s Blend was voted on by students, for students and is a signature item.
During the holidays, Parkside sold these holiday coffee sets! It included a Bear’s Blend branded mug, a bag of ground Bear’s Blend coffee, and a chocolate and peppermint stirring stick. The gifts were a big hit amongst students, faculty, and staff!
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Marketing When connecting with our target audience, we employ a variety of communication tools to help spread the message. This includes digital menus, an online ordering app, social media, website features, a digital dining guide, articles in university publications, print signage, and mouth-watering photography that puts the focus on the food. We work to ensure messaging is easily accessible, descriptive, informative, and has a creative flair. The marketing of Parkside celebrates the forward-thinking aspects that make this dining experience unlike any other on or off-campus.
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Student Feedback DSAT walk through of Parkside construction
The Dining Services Advisory Team (DSAT) is a student-driven group that meets with Dining Services monthly to discuss the dining program and offers insights on what is going on with the student population. They played a pivotal role in the development of Parkside and we truly value our relationship!
Customer satisfaction in Parkside is captured in two different ways, digital and handwritten. The first is through tablets at each entrance/exit and second is through our Love Feedback XOXO campaign where guests will fill out the form and drop in a ballot box. These are then addressed by managers. Digital Tablets & Marketing
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Love Feedback Form
Need some Guidance? We got you.
When Parkside first opened, signage was necessary and prominent to get students and guests used to the flow.
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Specials In addition to an ever-changing menu, Parkside enjoys participating in notable and timely specials like national holidays. The special below came from a request through our Love Feedback XOXO campaign!
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Do it for the Gram Parkside Cafe has its own highlight available on our Instagram page. There you will find an introduction of each team member, photos of specials, and student interaction. We also enjoy interacting with the Campus Dietitian, Rebecca Miller!
Social media plays a huge role in our marketing strategy. Our pages offer not only paid advertisements, but creates interaction and communication between the students and our team.
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Nutrition and Wellness Our goal is to provide students with balanced meals that are ethnically diverse, readily accessible, full of variety, considerate of food allergens and sensitivities, and meet individual and group nutritional needs. Our meals aim to include lean proteins, vegetables, fruit, complex carbohydrates, and plant-based fat.
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Customizable menu options with a pick 2 soup, salad, and sandwich/wrap
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Meet the Dietitian
Rebecca Miller, MPH, RDN, LDN
“At Parkside, students and staff gather from across campus to make it THE hot spot for lunch. The menu is raved about, not only for its nutritional appeal, but also its freshness and vibrancy. The atmosphere is a sought-after meeting and study space for all of us on campus.� - Rebecca Miller
Washington University Dietitian
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Part of Rebecca’s vision of the campus nutrition program is giving community members a direct line of communication to her. From her one-on-one nutrition consultations, we have been able to pinpoint needs more directly! Like the need for more vegan and vegetarian items and more readily accessible food on the East End. Thus, an expansion of the Parkside panini menu was born! We added a vegan and vegetarian panini option to the 3 week menu rotation. Promotion of the program grew rapidly with paid advertisements and print materials in the cafe space.
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Bear Balance What does it mean to be Bear Balance? The Bear Balance movement is a program designed to improve the nutrition quality and availability of food for students, faculty, staff, and guests around campus. Menu items across campus labeled with the Bear Balance icon meet the following nutrition specific criteria:
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Bear Balance
Continued
Bear Balance Salmon Barbacoa Tacos
Bear Balance focuses on the overall prevention of chronic disease and promotes evidence-based nutrition practices without sacrificing quality, flavor and recipe integrity. Numbers aside, the main goal behind Bear Balance is that each dish has to be equally nutritious AND delicious with a focus on nutrients that keep us more satisfied and energized throughout the day.
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“Having the Parkside Cafe directly across the plaza from the Sumers Welcome Center provides visiting prospective students and families a convenient opportunity to get a taste of both WashU’s dining options and student life on campus.� - Susan Kapp
Assistant Vice Provost for Admissions and Aid
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Additional Considerations When the Schnuck Pavilion went under construction in summer of 2016, a new dining concept within those walls was a necessity, but it couldn’t be like any of its brothers and sisters. It had to be unique, creative, smash expectations, and have a “wow” factor at every turn. Thus, Parkside was born. The wow factors indicated throughout our submission are just a few of the things that make Parkside the shining star that it is. Here’s a few more…
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Exceeding Goals That’s a
30% 957
increase!
727
Revenue:
$625,00 August - February
Parkside as a concept has been a success. It continually out performs in most months its anticipated revenue. It is expected to increase 2% in sales over projections for WashU’s fiscal year.
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Students and guests enjoying the Parkside space
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Customer Satisfaction In the Marketing Criteria, we gave you a glimpse of our digital survey tablets located at each entrance and exit of the building. Here are those results dating back to when the cafe opened in August until now!
65% 90%
YES All of it!
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51%
Students love our staff members and can count on them to brighten their days!
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Sustainability
Reducing, reusing and recycling waste is an essential component of an institutional sustainability effort. It is often one of the first ways that new students or guests see the university’s commitments manifested in action. Recycling programs rely on an informed community to participate in waste avoidance and properly managing personal waste, whether they are in one of our dining spaces, an office setting, classroom or residential living space.
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Sustainability
The single stream system at WashU makes recycling simple and easy, providing the campus community with two primary options: recycle or landfill. The majority of everyday materials can be recycled in designated bins throughout WashU campuses. Most major dining locations also include post-consumer compost collection for organic waste and compostable serviceware.
WashU oversees an increasing array of composting initiatives, allowing for food and other items to be reused as fertilizer instead of filling a landfill. Kitchen scraps are composted from most dining facilities on campus!
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Farm to Fork We help invest in the health of our community and the future of our food supply by purchasing seasonal and regional ingredients from local, St. Louis area based farmers, artisans, and producers, whenever possible. We define “local” as products that come from within 150 miles of our campus. We do this because food grown locally: • is fresher, better tasting and can have great nutritional value • supports family farmers and keeps money invested in the community • preserves bio-diversity • protects open space
15 0 m ile ra
di us
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During a typical week, we purchase 9,372 pounds of local produce, protein and dairy to fuel the campus. That’s over 4 tons of tomatoes, squash, melons, beans, apples, greens, bacon, pork, yogurt and more! We’re proud to support our local partners, farmers and alumni-founded businesses.
“Parkside Cafe is committed to using fresh, high quality meats, seasonal produce, and madefrom-scratch menu items, all with a distinct local St. Louis flair.” - Patrick McElroy, Campus Executive Chef, paying a visit to a local partner, Michael Gehman of Double Star Farms
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Press Campus Dining Today NACUFS Article
StudLife, a Student Ran Campus Publication
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Princeton Review
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Wow Factor n o s
An g
ela
Mrs. Gib
Throughout our submission, we have demonstrated the wow factors of Parkside with the symbol above, but here is one more. The Nottingham Program is something we as WashU Dining Services hold near and dear. It’s an education program in partnership with the Nottingham CAJT High School that allows their students to come on campus and experience real life work so they are prepared to get a job after graduation.
“I always hope that we can hire one or two students after they graduate. But more importantly they bring something intangible to Parkside, a smile, they are so excited to be working and learning. They have truly become part of the Parkside team.” - Hayes Green
Parkside Operations Manager
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xoxo
-Parkside
“Parkside is truly unique...from its beautiful design, the location, menu, and flow. I love being the cafe’s manager.” -Hayes Green, Operations Manager
“Parkside brings a new vision to the campus. I love working with the food and especially the team!” -LaCrystal Coleman-Robinson, Sous Chef
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Cheers!