Food Service Committee Meeting -------September 27, 6:00PM --------Timmerman Room

Present: Anthony P., Craig C., Tyler B., Krystal P. Ernest S., Matthew S., Eric W., Brandon O., Lee S., Amanda M., Jennifer V., Lana U., Kyle W., Brad S., Kimberly S., Dawn W.

 The meeting opened with pro’s and con’s of the beginning of the school years food service at Hein and Lucky’s Kennel.  Compliments to the Food Managers for the face time with the students and the overall better quality in the food and the presentations.  New faces this year as Kimberly Smith has taken over as Production Manager at Hein Dining Hall and Dawn Witting as the new Office Manager.  We also welcome aboard Chef Ernest Servantes who consistently is raising the standard of the food.  The faculty luncheon on Thursdays at noon is a big hit and the faculty/staff look forward to their email listing the menu on Thursday mornings.  Chef is working the induction station once a week and serving over at Lucky’s Kennel special entrees such as buffalo wings or a potato bar with varied toppings or beef/chicken gyros.

 Lana broached the discussion if the meal plans were sufficiently meeting the needs of the students and most agreed that the students were satisfied.  Lana did add that a simple survey was going out to all students with questions pertaining to their meal plans.

Kudos was given on the fresh fruit with suggestions that it possibly come out in different shifts because of the two large runs at lunch.  Everyone thought the tuna and chicken salad was a great idea especially the one with chunky apples. Bread was an issue in that perhaps different types such as Asiago Cheese or specialty rolls could be made available. Chef said he is constantly trying different breads and monitoring which ones disappear and which ones go bad on the shelf.  People love the panini and sandwich station because it has that individualized made to order feel and Olivia knows the students special requests.  Likewise, most agreed that the students don’t mind standing in line at the induction station because of the freshness appeal and the made to order status (as long as it is made to order)  Chef cautioned that sometimes the cooks are worried that the students are standing in line too long and they premake some entrees such as combining all the vegetables.  He said that defeated the purpose and wouldn’t be done in the future. Anthony made the comment that there is always something for everyone; those who can afford a leisurely lunch and those who need to grab it and go.  Several people expressed a desire for fresh fruit at Lucky’s  without the whip cream.  

We are trying to get more Freshmen involved in the food committee and thought of having a meeting at a dorm the next time. Sodexho staff stressed that Anytime Anywhere we are open to improvements and suggestions.   

Nutritional information is one of the links on the Campus Dining Web page with which Kyle has done a great job.  Sodexho will also post individual cards by the entrees and keep a binder with listings of all pizzas, soups, gravies, etc. that we offer and their full nutritional count.