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On-Campus Hospitality: How important are healthy eating options on campus? Are you working to lower things like fat, calories, sodium and sugar content of the foods you serve? Dave Annis: As we discussed, students eat what they want, and they don’t always choose the healthiest foods. However, we are educational in- stitutions and I think it is our role to help educate students about healthy eating. That is difficult to do if we do not offer healthy foods. We are finding more and more freshmen coming to campus who are informed consumers and looking for healthier options. We are not wholesale changing recipes but offer many foods that are lower in fat, or sodium, or sugars, and then try to educate our students about these foods. We have made changes like frying with trans-fat-free oils. Ultimately it is still their choice. Gail Finan: At Cornell we have identified menu items with the following criteria: · 100 percent trans fat free · 100 percent whole grains · Made from unprocessed ingredients · Lower in fat, sugar and salt Clearly not everything we serve meets these criteria. We strive for more of these alternatives. Cindy Hogenson: Customer feedback on On-Campus Hospitality ROUNDTABLE The Participants: Dave Annis, Executive Director of Food Service, University of Oklahoma Gail Finan, Director of Cornell Dining, Cornell University Cindy Hogenson, Residential Dining Manager, Concordia College Camp Howard, Director, Vanderbilt University David Keala, foodservice director, Brigham Young University - Hawaii Patricia Klos, Director of Dining and Business Services, Tufts University Mark Kraner, Assistant Vice President of University Services at George Mason University Cairon Moore, Assistant Director, Department of Housing & Dining Services at the University of Colorado at Boulder Joie Schoonover, Director of Dining and Culinary Services at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Steve Simpson, Associate Director of Campus Dining Services at the University of Missouri Rafi Taherian, Executive Director of Yale Dining, Yale University Ken Toong, Executive Director of Auxiliary Enterprises at University of Massachusetts - Amherst Richard Turnbull, Associate Director, Oregon State University Housing and Dining Conferences A t this year’s National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS) meeting, On- Campus Hospitality held its annual roundtable with college and university foodservice professionals. A variety of topics were discussed, and what follows is a sampling. 26 SEPTEMBER 2010 ON-CAMPUS HOSPITALITY

On-Campus Hospitality ROUNDTABLEHawaiian herb), garlic, curry and vanilla, to name a few. We use these herbs in all of our cooking techniques and products, such as our main dishes,

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Page 1: On-Campus Hospitality ROUNDTABLEHawaiian herb), garlic, curry and vanilla, to name a few. We use these herbs in all of our cooking techniques and products, such as our main dishes,

On-Campus Hospitality: How important are healthy eating options on campus? Are you working to lower things like fat, calories, sodium and sugar content of the foods you serve?

Dave Annis: As we discussed, students eat what they want, and they don’t always choose the healthiest foods. However, we are educational in-stitutions and I think it is our role to help educate students about healthy eating. That is diffi cult to do if we do not offer healthy foods. We are fi nding more and more freshmen coming to campus who are informed consumers and looking for healthier options. We are not wholesale changing recipes but offer many foods that are lower in fat, or sodium, or sugars, and then try to educate our students about these foods. We have made changes like frying with trans-fat-free oils. Ultimately it is still their choice.

Gail Finan: At Cornell we have identifi ed menu items with the following criteria:

· 100 percent trans fat free· 100 percent whole grains· Made from unprocessed ingredients· Lower in fat, sugar and saltClearly not everything we serve meets these

criteria. We strive for more of these alternatives.

Cindy Hogenson: Customer feedback on

On-Campus Hospitality ROUNDTABLE

From left: Rafi Taherian, Gail Finan, Patricia Klos, Gregg Wallis, Richard Turnbull, Dave Annis, Camp Howard, Ken Toong, Mark Kraner, Joie Schoonover, David Keala, Steve Simpson, Cindy HogensonHoward, Ken Toong, Mark Kraner, Joie Schoonover, David Keala, Steve Simpson, Cindy Hogenson

The Participants: � Dave Annis, Executive Director of Food Service, University of Oklahoma� Gail Finan, Director of Cornell Dining, Cornell University� Cindy Hogenson, Residential Dining Manager, Concordia College� Camp Howard, Director, Vanderbilt University� David Keala, foodservice director, Brigham Young University - Hawaii � Patricia Klos, Director of Dining and Business Services, Tufts University � Mark Kraner, Assistant Vice President of University Services at George Mason

University� Cairon Moore, Assistant Director, Department of Housing & Dining Services at

the University of Colorado at Boulder � Joie Schoonover, Director of Dining and Culinary Services at the University of

Wisconsin-Madison � Steve Simpson, Associate Director of Campus Dining Services at the University

of Missouri� Rafi Taherian, Executive Director of Yale Dining, Yale University� Ken Toong, Executive Director of Auxiliary Enterprises at University of

Massachusetts - Amherst� Richard Turnbull, Associate Director, Oregon State University Housing and

Dining

Conferences

At this year’s National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS) meeting, On-Campus Hospitality held its annual roundtable with

college and university foodservice professionals. A variety of topics were discussed, and what follows is a sampling.

26 SEPTEMBER 2010 ON-CAMPUS HOSPITALITY

Page 2: On-Campus Hospitality ROUNDTABLEHawaiian herb), garlic, curry and vanilla, to name a few. We use these herbs in all of our cooking techniques and products, such as our main dishes,
Page 3: On-Campus Hospitality ROUNDTABLEHawaiian herb), garlic, curry and vanilla, to name a few. We use these herbs in all of our cooking techniques and products, such as our main dishes,

grette rather than mayonnaise; we’ve changed to low-fat mayo on all sandwiches in this popular operation, and are working to reduce the salt by 20 percent in the foods with the highest sodium content. Salt is hard to control because our chefs don’t really measure salt, so this result will happen mostly through education. We’re also looking at refi ned carbs, including sugar, and adjusting portion sizes as our fi rst approach.

Mark Kraner: It is important to have options available; even more so we are looking at ways that we do these reduc-tions in our everyday/location menus.

Cairon Moore: Offering healthy choices is extremely important to us. Parents try to provide healthy meals at home,

and one of their big fears is that their child will go off to college and not have the opportunity to make the right choice. Our bakery provides gluten-free, sugar-free and vegetarian treats. We have allergy-sensitive zones at each dining center. All units offer simple food choices, for example — steamed broccoli, grilled chick-en, brown rice — all with no fats added or sodium or sugar. Our fi rst choice in meats and produce is local, organic and natural. Our growing season in Colorado is limited, so local is short lived, with the exception of root vegetables and lamb.

Joie Schoonover: This area is becoming more important to our students. We are defi nitely more sodium conscious. We have been conscious of the other items for several years.

Steve Simpson: It is important to offer healthy eating options on campus; while students do not always “walk the talk” on eating healthy, their level of concern is great when healthy choices are not available. And we are seeing an in-crease in consumption of healthier foods, especially as we work toward incorporating local, fresher foods that heighten fl avor, taste and acceptability. There is greater student concern for hydrogenated fats, corn syrup sweeteners and genetically modifi ed foods than for sodium or sugar content of foods per

campus indicates that having healthy options available is very important. We do consider nutrient value when developing new recipes. We have also adjusted existing recipes on occasion to improve their nutrient content. We display a menu item’s fat, caloric, sodium and fi ber content per serving at the point of sale. Improvements in those areas would be noticed by those customers looking at the information. Despite feedback, food consumption doesn’t strongly support the feedback requesting healthy options.

Camp Howard: Healthy options on campus are becom-ing an increasing requirement, not an option. We are always looking at ways to lower things like fat, sodium, etc.

David Keala: It is very important to our patrons. To assist them in their quest for healthier options, we are reducing our sodium by infusing fresher fl avors through the use of fresh herbs and spices, which we grow in our foodservice garden. Some of the herbs we grow are thyme, basil, parsley, chives, oregano, sage, rosemary, mint, lemongrass, Mamaki (a rich, natural Hawaiian herb), garlic, curry and vanilla, to name a few.

We use these herbs in all of our cooking techniques and products, such as our main dishes, desserts, drinks, breads, etc. We also provide our customers with fresh herbal hot tea drinks that can help cleanse and detoxify the body. These have become very popular here in food

service as we have received lots of compliments on this option. Another popular process we use is to dry our excess herbs

and use them in our homemade fresh-baked bread. Soups are also very popular and when seasoned properly with fresh herbs, it provides a fantastic fl avor and essence to it. We also name some of our main dishes after the spices we grow. An example of this would be a Vietnamese Coriander, which we now use to fl avor a special chicken dish and we have made into a signature dish we call Vietnamese Chicken.

Patricia Klos: More than ever our students are making healthier choices, not just asking for healthier items. We’ve introduced a new line of pita pocket sandwiches with vinai-

28 SEPTEMBER 2010 ON-CAMPUS HOSPITALITY

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foods. Two years ago, with health imperatives in mind, UMass Dining initiated a Stealth Health program featuring healthier, fl avor-driven menu options, without labeling them specifi cally as being healthy.

Here are some details of our stealth health program: Of-fered whole-grain products everywhere, including in breads, pizza crust, baked goods and side dishes; provided more fi sh and salads on the menu; reduced the portion size of various protein dishes; reduced sodium by 25 percent from the recipes (2009); and offered more healthy beverages such as water (citrus based; carbonated; and purifi ed) and Crystal Light.

Richard Turnbull: Healthy dining options are very im-portant. Part of the challenge is having a common defi nition of “healthy.” Our focus is on “stealth health” and making healthy choices the easiest choice. We do that, in part, by

se. We continue to look for ways to decrease fat and sugar content of recipes, while maintaining great fl avor and taste. Students also fi nd it important to have access to nutrition information in an easy-to-read and easily accessible manner, be it signage at point of service or Web-based.

Rafi Taherian: At Yale, we WIN — Wellness, Information and Nutrition. Consideration for Wellness drives our sustain-ability initiatives, menu engineering and production method-ology. We provide training and information for our students and employees on an ongoing basis. We use initiatives such as Wellness Faire, posters and fl yers to provide information and education regarding food, healthy choices and the impor-tance of an active lifestyle. Yale Dining provides nutritional information at each meal for all our menu options.

We have been focusing on 3S’s: Salt, Sugar and Smoke. Whereas salt and refi ned starches are somewhat under our control, we established initiatives to reduce their impacts over time. Smoking is a choice; we have limited options. We are collaborating with other departments on our campus toward “Smoke-Free” initiatives.

Ken Toong: Today more than ever, many students are looking to their campus dining locations for food choices that are not only healthy, but also delicious. It is imperative for our chefs and campus operators to embrace opportunities to create a new generation of healthy, appealing, everyday

30 SEPTEMBER 2010 ON-CAMPUS HOSPITALITY

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accommodate dietary needs utilizing the standard menu in our dining operations. Some cases warrant purchasing specialty items for students to supplement their meals.

Howard: The number of students with allergies increases every year. Our staff dietitian is in contact with these students and their parents. We have a “Special Dietary Accommoda-tions” policy in place where the students have their physician identify their allergy or special need. We then meet with the students, along with our managers and chefs, to ensure that their needs are being met. We even go as far as preparing spe-cial meals for these students. We offer an increasing amount of gluten-free items in our markets (as our markets are on their meal plan).

Keala: Each year we are seeing more students come to school with special dietary needs and/or al-lergies. When we are notifi ed that they have a very strict dietary need, we visit with them and get a list-ing from their doctor on what they can/cannot eat. If we are unable to visit with their doctor, we have the University Doctor visit with them and then he sends us a listing of what can/cannot be eaten.

Once this has been done, the manager, Marilou, will review our current menus with the student and together determine what they are able to eat. If there are still issues, we will put together a special menu for them on a daily basis. They come into Food Ser-vices, let us know that they are eating and then we will individually cook their meal for them. In this last instance, we will usually cook individual meals for

6-12 students per semester on a daily basis. We always want to take care of our customers, and they enjoy this type of service.

Klos: Our health services department asks the new fi rst-year students to identify themselves in advance of arriving on campus, and provides them with content info for our nu-tritionist. She meets with them personally to advise how to navigate our menus. We label our food items with allergen info, and we also encourage them to use our online menu tool that provides all the ingredient information. We’re expecting over a dozen students with pretty signifi cant food allergies this fall, up from a handful last year.

locating healthy choices in the most prominent locations of our menu boards; by having fruit carts at the entrance to our dining centers; and by having a variety of healthy, vegetarian and vegan options at each of our 20 restaurant locations. Tara Sanders, our nutritionist, works closely with our culinary team to modify recipes to minimize the fat and sodium content of our recipes using principles of intentional design. Tara also works with students to help provide nutrition information to help customers understand how to eat healthy. Each item on our menu is posted on our website with the nutrition informa-tion. All of our packaged foods in our “Walk-About” to-go program have nutrition labels printed on them.

Having said all that, recent studies and tracking student menu choices indicate there remains a strong desire for fried foods.

OCH: How much are allergies and other special food needs affecting your campus? How do you work with students with these needs?

Annis: We have seen an increase in students with allergies and have had to program accordingly. Our nutrition educator meets with these students on an individual basis and works with them so they understand our menus. We have online access for students to view ingredient lists for almost all of the foods we serve.

Finan: We have growing concerns. We now have a full-time nutritionist increased from part time in large part to her involvement with al-lergens and nutrition named Michele Wilbur, RD, CDN. Since Michele has been here, we have trained over 270 union and managers on the basic eight allergens: dairy, egg, soy, wheat, fi sh, shell fi sh, nuts and peanuts. Michele works with closely with Wellness and Students with Disabilities Services.

Hogenson: Allergies and special food requests continue to rise each year. We have four registered dieticians working in various positions on our management team. Students needing accommodations meet with our dining supervisor for one-on-one assistance. We try to

32 SEPTEMBER 2010 ON-CAMPUS HOSPITALITY

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desires. We will cook specialized diets for students if they are willing to self-identify and work with us on timetables, scheduled meal times and product selection.

Taherian: Our recent survey showed that we have less than 8 percent of our student population reporting some kind of food allergy/intolerance. The No. 1 allergy is dairy, followed by gluten and nuts. We ask students to come forward and ex-

plain their issues, and subsequently our managers and dietitian work closely with these students to customize meal options.

Toong: There have been growing reports of allergies from our students, including everything from wheat and dairy intol-erance to peanut/tree nut, fi sh/shellfi sh and soy allergies. We are doing everything we can to try to meet needs of customers who have food allergies. To minimize the cost in doing so, as an example, gluten-free foods are available, but in order to justify the purchase and preparations of these products, a doctor’s note is requested. We also have a very informative nutrition website with a nutrient analysis, ingredient list and allergen information available for everything we serve (www.umassdining.com).

Turnbull: Food allergies and intolerances seem to affect more and more students every year. We are buying more and more gluten-free products and creating more and more gluten-free recipes than we have ever had before. This kind of goes hand in hand with another trend toward whole, ancient grains. And we are doing more with amaranth, spelt and quinoa. Either I or Tara meet with students and their families as they visit

campus prior to the start of school and give them a tour of the restaurants clos-est to their living quarters. We introduce them to the Chef D’Cuisine of their dining center, take them back into the kitchen and talk with them about options and how to ask for what they need. We want them to feel comfortable and know that it is okay to talk directly with the chef and ask for information or assistance if they need it.

—OCH

To read more from our roundtable, please visit www.oncampushospitality.com.

Kraner: We have an action station that is dedicated for this in our all-you-care-to-eat location. We are concerned at other locations to be clear about what is being served.

Moore: I don’t feel we are affected by special needs as we have chosen to be proactive and address the needs before they arise.

We are in our third year of the A9 Identifi ed project. All menu items are screened for the eight FDA-recognized allergens, and we added gluten, making it nine. Our menu item tags identify the allergens present in all menu offerings. If for some reason there was a substitute by a vendor, then the sign says “not yet screened for allergens, please see a manager.” We have a registered dietician on staff who works with students and teaches them how to navigate the food lines. This is not limited to students with allergens, but includes students who want to avoid the “Freshman 15.” If students’ allergies are so severe and anaphylaxis is a threat, but they want to remain on campus, then certain dining centers can accommodate by cooking specifi cally for that student using utensils bought just for that student. We’ve only needed to do this one time, and only for a short period of time while the student went through testing to determine the new allergen.

We also have a kosher Micro Restaurant in our largest (and newest) dining facility.

Schoonover: Greatly! More and more students are com-ing to campus with all types of allergies. We are seeing them arrive during the summer for camps and conferences in much larger numbers than before. This trend is showing us who our future students will be and what the needs are. When we do have students with special dietary needs, we have them meet with our dietician who recommends foods and other items that are safe for the students to eat.

Simpson: Students who self-identify with nut, dairy, egg and wheat allergies and/or gluten intolerance are on the increase on our campus. The gluten-free diet is the single fastest-growing specialized diet we face. We work with stu-dents one on one to personalize their menu, food preparation methods and obtaining specialized and/or favorite foods. We purchase diet-safe foods as needed to meet their needs and

34 SEPTEMBER 2010 ON-CAMPUS HOSPITALITY

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We continue to look at this as a brand extension.

Moore: We have a new dining center that features eight micro restaurants: Asia rotates Eastern cuisine, so one day the students enjoy Korean, the next Indonesian, Japanese, Chinese, or Singapore, etc.; Latin is not limited to burritos but offers menus or items from Chile, Argentina, Brazil, the Caribbean, Spain, Puerto Rico — all Latin or Hispanic countries; Italy features foods from north, south, east and western Italy; and the World Grill offers rotisserie, smoked and grilled items worldwide. We also offer kosher and Persian stations.

The idea is to expand the guest’s knowledge of international cuisines and offer interesting facts about that particular culture and why certain foods are popular. With more international students joining our community and with technology making the world smaller, we felt this was an important contribution to inclusion and understanding. After all, the one common experience for all cultures everywhere is to celebrate com-munity and milestones by sharing a meal.

Schoonover: Several. The number is increasing yearly and will defi nitely increase as we move into new/remodeled facilities. It is extremely important to have these items avail-able. It is the expectation. Our society is so much more global in terms of cuisine than it has ever been. Our students frequent many types of restaurants; therefore their tastes have developed much sooner than before.

Simpson: We are starting to incorporate Asian foods that are more unique and fl avorful than traditional Chinese carry-out. Taiwanese, Vietnamese and other Pacifi c Rim foods are growing in popularity. Lettuce wraps, noodle and rice bowls and “Asian street foods” that are easy to eat and have great fl avor are growing in popularity. We see adding this type of food to our take-out locations instead of (or minimally, in addition to) the staple burger and fries. And these foods are a great fi t for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and other specialized diets.

Taherian: World cuisine features are an integral aspect of our menus. We invite chefs who best represent these cultures and cuisine to our campus. We develop training programs for our staff and we celebrate these food cultures.

Toong: We offer 15 world cuisines daily for lunch and din-ner, from sushi, Singapore street food, regional Mexican fare, Mediterranean cuisine, Vietnamese pho noodles and Southeast Asian cuisine, to Indian food, just to name a few. Leveraging the fl avors of world cuisines from the Mediterranean, Latin America, Asia and Africa will broaden the variety of food we can offer, with the added benefi t that many of them are vegetable and grain based, which is a lot healthier.

Turnbull: The undergraduate population of international students is growing signifi cantly due, in large part, to an in-novative partnership between Oregon State University and INTO, a British corporation that works with colleges and universities to recruit international students. This has been a very successful joint venture for us, and for the past couple of years, we have been doing a ton of research into global cuisine.

The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone has been

OCH: What kind of global food choices are you offering on campus? How important is it to your operation to offer these different types of cuisines?

Annis: We offer a wide range of international foods, working with our international student groups to highlight foods from all regions. While others may not see much of a distinction between that and his everyday food, here in Oklahoma, many of these foods are new to our students. Once again, I believe we have a role in educating students.

Finan: Again, this is very important. We have destination stations for many Asian foods, including Thai, Korean and Chinese, as well as Mexican, American, Italian and Halal. Kosher-Cornell also has an OU operation.

Hogenson: We feel it is important to offer a variety of cuisines. We hope to connect with students by providing fa-miliar food. We also see it as an educational opportunity to expose customers to new cuisines.

Howard: We have an entire platform dedicated to Global Cuisines (Lunch Paper). It offers a new menu every two weeks, is authentic and true to the region of the world, such as Medi-terranean, Asian, Pacifi c Northwest, Thai, etc.

Keala: Because there are over 70 countries attending BYU-Hawaii, this is a wonderful opportunity for Food Services to enhance and educate our student population. As part of our Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) for the year listed below we strive to promote global foods:

— Cultivate an appreciation of diverse culture and foods.— Cultivate an awareness of self through proper nutrition.Students from these countries eat in our establishments.

Thus each year we focus several of our events on meeting the SLO. Some events that we have done have focused on food from Tahiti, Samoa, Tonga, Asia, Europe, etc.

Two years ago we did a special theme dinner event entitled Sakura Matsuri, which focused on a Japanese street festival. This past year we did a theme dinner that focused on the Indian culture.

At these events, we invite and welcome the student club organizations from these countries to participate with Food Services. They help decorate the area, provide props, do their custom dances and/or music and, working with Chef Tan and Manager Lou, create a themed atmosphere of bringing to Food Services an appreciation of its culture, food and people. By the way, this year’s Grand Prize for Theme Dinner Event at NACUFS was our Indian Culture Dinner.

Klos: The Middle East, Italy, Mediterranean, Greece, In-dia, China and Japan are the most popular. We strive to offer as authentic as possible, and developed many new recipes this summer for this purpose. Our students travel the world and are much more savvy than ever before, so we strive to offer a broad variety to address the international nature of our student body.

Kraner: We offer Indian food [at] Sangam’s, a local favorite.

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over campus, as well as in the dining hall they frequented as students.

Schoonover: We do have catering operations on campus. They keep money on campus, offer us a chance to keep staff busy during other times when we might not be as busy, offer a chance to show off our skills and is a marketing tool for the campus (not necessarily in the order that I have placed them in).

Simpson: We do not do catering on campus; it is handled by a different department.

Taherian: Yes we do. We operate a number of catering operations. Yale catering is a full-service catering operation, serving the campus community with a wide range of options. From Executive Services (off-site to on-site) high-end confer-ence service, from 1,200 plated dinners to coffee breaks and boxed lunches, we have no limitations. Yale Cater Express (YCE) is a drop-off limited low-cost catering option for depart-ments needing minimal food and beverage at a very competi-tive price. YCE services can be accessed through their online portal, and all aspects of ordering and billing are automated on line. Marigold is our on-site catering service, located at the School of Medicine. Marigold’s personal attention to the needs of their customers have made it the catering venue of choice for their community.

Toong: Yes, we have a $4 million catering operation on campus. It can be profi table if done right, and it can also complement the rest of the dining program.

Turnbull: OSU Catering provides a positive service to the campus community. It is a great place for our staff to showcase their culinary talents and to learn and practice ex-ceptional customer service skills. Most of our service team are students, and they represent the university well. Benefi ts include a strong, positive revenue stream, upper administra-tion recognition and community goodwill.

OCH: Do you have national brands on campus? How important is it to offer students these operations and how do you choose which ones to have?

Annis: Yes we do. I think it is important to mix national, regional and self-op brands on campus. I choose the brands based on input from students, and in many cases, based on a company’s ability to change contracts to comply with state law. Not all companies will.

Finan: Our campus is more interested in local business, but we certainly identify products: Hellmann’s, Heinz, Star-bucks, etc. Unlike some schools, we surveyed students, and Cornell students do not want the fast food chains on campus (confi rmed 2008).

Hogenson: We are a small campus without national brands on campus.

Howard: We have Quiznos in one of our upperclassmen

hugely helpful with its World Flavor workshops, as has Ken Toong and the staff at UMass who host an amazing culinary workshop as well. We do a series of special events throughout the year featuring a Journey Through Culture and Cuisine, which is an outgrowth of our Diversity Initiative. At these events, staff members of all three dining centers and our catering operation work together with the cultural centers on campus to develop a program that celebrates the culture and cuisine of a particular area of the world. This involves researching authentic recipes, poetry, regional heroes, native dance and music, special effects lighting and pipe and drape around various areas of the dining center, and multiple exhibition cooking stations. We have featured the cuisines of Mexico, Southeast Asia, the Mediterranean and the American South.

We have developed some restaurants to specifi cally ad-dress Global Cuisine on an everyday basis as well. We have a Nuevo Latino restaurant called Serrano Grill, a Global Fare restaurant, Ring of Fire Asian restaurant, and are in the process of developing a new Mediterranean restaurant offering foods from southern Europe and northern Africa. Also, our grocery store, Cascadia Market, offers a wide variety of ethnic groceries.

OCH: Do you offer catering operations on campus? Are there any benefi ts to offering catering options?

Annis: Yes, we do have catering. Catering is very high visibility and helps a director make contact with upper ad-ministration and university offi cers.

Finan: Yes, we do. Benefi ts include jobs, training and service.

Hogenson: Providing catering on campus promotes a sense of community. Catering services also increase the din-ing operation’s perceived value on campus.

Howard: Yes we do, and students love having the option of using our campus caterer. They are top notch and can cater to our students’ needs.

Klos: We cater to a broad audience on campus, from con-ference groups and day-long seminars to working lunches for the president, or dinners for evening programs. We offer three levels of service from economy to standard to executive. We cater about 2,200 events every year. All of our services are out of our facility.

Kraner: We do have catering. We have three levels (basic for student groups, pickup and full service). There are two catering operations on campus, plus we do allow open bidding for the business. We feel that having it on campus allows for the dollars to remain on campus, and we will always be in need of providing the service at a reasonable price.

Moore: Catering is very important for several reasons. First, it is often the only way decision makers (the president, chancellor, board members) know anything about dining ser-vices. Also, it is essential for fundraising. Donors love to see their dollars at work by being able to dine in buildings all

Conferences

SEPTEMBER 2010 ON-CAMPUS HOSPITALITY

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dorms. We don’t see it as very important, but it’s a nice op-tion for students.

Keala: Right now we do not have any brands on campus other than our own.

Klos: We Proudly Serve Starbucks coffee, have a Freshens Smoothie program and offer Pura Vida Coffee in our coffee-house. We are not large enough to attract a national brand like Burger King, etc. Our students like an eclectic assortment of foods and want us to be more trendy and flexible than most national brands would provide.

Kraner: We have national, regional and self-branding. It really is a balancing act to provide some national brands, but the key is how your campus is set — are you looking at a retail customer versus meal equivalency program?

Moore: We do not operate any branded concepts.

Schoonover: No, we do not have any in Housing. For us, even though we are a la carte, our philosophy is that our operations are the students “kitchen at home” when they are on campus. We need to offer the variety they are looking for in an environment that they feel comfortable in — like “Mom’s or Grandma’s” place. So, we do not and have no plans to offer brands to our students in Housing’s Dining and Culinary Services.

Simpson: We have Subway and Starbucks. These two are very popular with our students and have the name recogni-tion and loyalty that would be difficult to substitute for in a self-brand. That being said, we continue to shift away from national brands and continue to grow with quality self-brands that offer similar foods, but are still somewhat unique and customized to our local customer base.

Taherian: No we do not.

Toong: There are very few national brands, such as Freshens and Famous Famiglia. Rather, we prefer in-house or regional brands such as French Meadow since their food is more au-thentic, less processed and healthier than fast-food brands. We love originality and having more regional and international food. We can do a better job than fast-food brands and our students don’t want national brands on campus. It is very difficult to be profitable when paying royalties and prevailing wages by using a national brand concept.

Turnbull: The Memorial Union on campus features both national brands and regional branded restaurants. Especially for first-year students, familiar brands help create a comfort zone. Chain restaurants are solicited via a Request For Pro-posal process that uses a variety of criteria, including brand recognition and return on investment, or leasehold return, among other criteria. —OCH

Conferences

ON-CAMPUS HOSPITALITY SEPTEMBER 2010