Course Credits
University foodservice directors focus on controlling costs, expanding skills.
By Margaret Sheridan, Senior Editor -- Restaurants & Institutions, 8/1/2005
|
Skill development and training, cost containment and customer service are the most sought-after courses on campuses, at least for college and university foodservice directors.
A recent survey asking National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS) members to rate the importance of critical issues found that the respondents cited professional skill development and training as most pressing. Containing costs and improving customer service followed in second and third place, respectively.
Most managers agree, however, that these issues can’t be addressed separately. “They’re intertwined,” says Mark Petrino, associate director of dining services at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass. “To contain costs, you need skills to understand financials. You also need skills to communicate effectively.”
These issues are not new to veterans such as Sharon Coulson. What has changed, says the president of East Lansing, Mich.-based NACUFS and foodservice director-associated students at University of California-Davis, are their customers and how foodservice departments work with them. “You change how you communicate. It’s more like niche marketing. If students want organic pesto, then you buy that type of product and be sure to communicate that message,” she says.
Cost containment and communication are ongoing challenges, but budgets have less wiggle room than ever, says Ann Talley. The 42-year veteran director of residence halls dining service at Ball State University, Muncie, Ind., says any change in enrollment or funding has an impact on her business. She has seen her fall 2005 operating budget cut from $26 million to $24 million and enrollment drop by 640 students. Additionally, annual catering revenue declined over three years from $300,000 to $200,000. Such changes emphasize the need for training, she says.
She mandated cross-training in two or more concepts for 140 full-time employees and requires new managers to attend an intensive three-week training program. She refuses to cut her department’s $200,000 annual training budget. Improving skills reduces job boredom, boosts morale and leads to more-versatile employees, she explains. “With more skills, employees know there’s greater opportunity for work,” Talley says. Returns on the investment have included 100% retention among supervisors.
Brand Benefits
One advantage of having 14 national restaurant brands on campus is the training chains provide, says Michael Gratz, director of hospitality services, University of Southern California (USC), Los Angeles. His managers attend off-site seminars where they gain exposure to diverse customers and service demands and to new systems. They return energized and with skills that are transferable to other workers. Taking advantage of the school’s management classes also has resulted in managers becoming sharper bidders with vendors. Within three years, USC’s food cost dropped to 33% from 37%, he says.
New administrators at Ohio University refocused initiatives on students and operating a viable business, says Rich Neumann, director of dining services for the Athens, Ohio, school. Training was critical in developing in-house talent for production-manager positions. Neumann designed an internship with academic credit. Student workers, eyeing a career path, signed on. Two have graduated and become full-time employees.
A 45% food cost raised red flags for Williams College Director of Dining Services Robert Volpi and Mark Petrino, associate director. They set out to introduce managers to basics in foodservice financials.
“You can’t make managers accountable if they don’t understand how to budget,” says Petrino. The pair held weekly sessions covering labor and time management, food costs and purchasing. Within a year, managers reduced Williams’ cost per meal to $2.80 from $3.60.
Despite a decline in annual operating budget from $8.5 million three years ago to $8 million last year and staff headcount dipping from 125 to 115 over that period, managers lowered food costs to 33%. “We’re working more efficiently,” says Petrino. “Employees sense they have ownership. They run their businesses and take responsibility for making tough decisions.”
No Free Lunch
Staying focused on students instead of looking for more catering jobs helped Neumann cut operating costs at Ohio University from 7% to 5%. “We said no to beverage service at summer concerts. Wages came out of my budget,” he says.
This summer, he renegotiated beer sales at baseball games. A local sponsor agreed to pay the $360 fee for a seasonal beer permit, saving Neumann from covering it. He raised beer prices from $2 to $3 in response to labor costs. “We treat school money as though we’re independent businessmen,” he says.
|
Surveys and conversations with students help USC’s Gratz understand expectations for foodservice. Variety, convenience and flexibility are the primary interests, says Gratz. He responds to them with extended service hours and delivery.
He also innovates. A sushi concept, sub shop, teahouse and two cafes will open on campus this fall. “The challenge for dining service directors is ideas and innovation. Food items, really, don’t change that much,” Gratz says.
Students at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, want the school to support the 600-resident town. That means buying locally as much as possible, says Niles Gebele, foodservice director for the account managed by Philadelphia-based Aramark Corp. In fact, 12% of food purchases come from local farmers and other sources.
Responding to customer demands also means spending money and time cultivating relationships. “We spent four months negotiating a hamburger patty with a meat distributor, getting specs right on size, thickness and lean-to-fat ratio. We jump through hoops,” adds Gebele.
When asked, Williams’ students told managers what they want: puttanesca pasta sauce twice a week instead of once a month; more peas and broccoli; more theme dinners; and crisp skin on roasted pork loin. Petrino gives students what they want without going in the red. He holds its hard-won $2.80 per-meal cost by balancing splurges (red snapper) with less costly favorites (chicken wings). “You learn to shop smart and identify levels of quality. I buy imported extra-virgin olive oil at $50 a gallon, not $100,” Petrino says.
Satisfying students means eating humble pie on occasion. “We goofed on comfort food,” admits Betse Curtis, catering manager at Smith College, Northampton, Mass. When managers introduced a “comfort food” option, their definition—rich, starchy, creamy—had nothing in common with students’.
“The kids wanted favorite items—grilled cheese, tomato soup and burgers—served more often,” she says, and the menu reflects students’ definition now.
Tray Service
Technology, move over. At Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio, students do not swipe IDs for meals. To account for participation by the 1,600 students on mandatory meal plan, managers resort to basics. “Sounds corny, but we count trays,” says Niles Gebele, foodservice director.
Daily averages are 400 trays for breakfast, 1,200 at lunch and 1,450 at dinner.
Hot Competition
Hot trucks have been a feature at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., for decades. The generator-powered food trolleys, operated by a commercial vendor, provide burgers, hot dogs and beverages into the wee hours. But this fall, they’ll get competition from Colleen Wright-Riva. The director of dining and retail services will extend retail hours to 2 a.m. weeknights, and 3 a.m. on weekends at many venues.
Local pizza chains will be challenged. Cornell’s own pizza, made fresh and delivered on foot, will sell for $8.49, 50 cents less than the competition. No nook or cranny is too small for a kiosk or counter, insists Wright-Riva. Since her arrival three years ago, retail venues have increased from 21 to 32 on the 745-acre campus.
View All Blogs
