CampusDiningTodayFall/Winter2021 - 40

Bulking Up Products
and Customer Service
to Satisfy Students
Chelsey Marshall
General Mills
Foodservice
The past year challenged campus operations
to seek new ways to serve students, keep
everyone safe from COvId-19, maximize
labor, and account for supply chain issues-
all the while, trying to provide an enjoyable
and satisfying dining experience.
steve Mangan, senior director of Michigan
dining (University of Michigan), can attest
that the last year has been a wild ride
and this school year is shaping up to be
an interesting season as well. While the
campus' nine dining halls are open and
students are flowing in, ongoing struggles
with staffing have required his team to scale
back menus.
" The first thought is often, 'how
do we do more with less,' but
doing more is not an option right
now, " said Mangan. " We need to
stick to things we can do well.
Everything has to be fabulous. "
This includes a constant
balancing act to meet student
demand for different types
of cuisine (familiar favorites
to global cuisine as well as
plant-based, vegan, and
gluten-free options) with fewer
choices on the limited menu.
To compensate, his team has
doubled down on customer
service.
" We are doing more made-toorder
items for students who want
something particular, " said Mangan,
adding his staff aims to have individual
interactions with students and connect
with them to ensure they get what they
need.
Mangan is thankful the University of
Michigan's dining halls have been able
to offer salad bars, cereal dispensers,
and other self-serve areas (e.g., soups,
desserts) even in the age of COvId.
He says these self-service areas that
stock student favorites and allow for
customization with minimal labor
beyond stocking and cleaning have
helped " keep them alive " during a
challenging period.
These areas also free up staff so they
can focus on other back-of-house
needs as well as all-important guest
interactions that make a big difference.
" Our staff performs at heroic levels
every day to serve the students as
well as they do, " said Mangan. " From
learning to serve guests in new ways
to showing each other grace and
appreciation-we are all in this together
and will have a stronger program in the
end because of it! "
Michigan dining staff showcasing
their culinary creations.
40
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