In The News

Moneymaking Meals; Campus Dining Program Strategies for Giving Revenue a Boost (Featuring Bridgewater College and Mercyhurst University)
University Business Magazine

Extended Hours

Traffic in the student dining hall at Bridgewater College (Va.) has increased dramatically since the school switched from a traditional meal plan to a continuous dining plan. The dining hall is open daily from 7 a.m. to midnight, when previously there were breaks in service between meals and 7 p.m. was the latest close time.

By the end of the first semester, the participation rate stood at 72 percent—even better than the 56 percent dining services managers were projecting, says Mary Speir, general manager for Parkhurst Dining Services, which took over campus dining operations in July 2012.

“The kids love it,” she reports. “They enjoy being able to come in, watch some TV, grab a cup of coffee and a dessert, and sit here and study—without having to worry about taking a meal off [their plan allowance].”

Contrary to the fears dining services operators may have, food costs actually decrease with continuous dining programs by around 2 percent on average, according to hospitality operations consultant Susan Wilkie, president and CEO of Wilkie Enterprises. The reason, she explains, is that students no longer pile food on their plates—and often waste much of it—thinking they won’t have a chance to return if they’re hungry later because the dining hall will be closed.

Moveable Feasts

Food trucks are solving the access problem at a number of colleges and universities where some students can’t easily get to buildings with dining facilities.

The dining halls at Mercyhurst University (Pa.), for example, are located on the opposite side of the campus from where most upperclassmen live. “Because there are a couple of fast food areas that are close by them, we saw students walking to off-campus venues just because of the convenience,” says Gerry Tobin, vice president for student life.

The university didn’t have space to build a dining facility in that area, so food services contractor Parkhurst Dining Services purchased a food truck advertised on Craigslist. The Culinary Cab, which made its campus debut in September 2012, makes the rounds on Friday and Saturday nights, serving up pulled pork sandwiches, wraps, and nachos—but no fried food. “We try to keep it fairly healthy, because there’s a lot of late-night eating,” says Kim Novak, general manager of dining services for Parkhurst.



View original article here
Moneymaking Meals; Campus Dining Program Strategies for Giving Revenue a Boost (Featuring Bridgewater College and Mercyhurst University)
University Business Magazine

Extended Hours

Traffic in the student dining hall at Bridgewater College (Va.) has increased dramatically since the school switched from a traditional meal plan to a continuous dining plan. The dining hall is open daily from 7 a.m. to midnight, when previously there were breaks in service between meals and 7 p.m. was the latest close time.

By the end of the first semester, the participation rate stood at 72 percent—even better than the 56 percent dining services managers were projecting, says Mary Speir, general manager for Parkhurst Dining Services, which took over campus dining operations in July 2012.

“The kids love it,” she reports. “They enjoy being able to come in, watch some TV, grab a cup of coffee and a dessert, and sit here and study—without having to worry about taking a meal off [their plan allowance].”

Contrary to the fears dining services operators may have, food costs actually decrease with continuous dining programs by around 2 percent on average, according to hospitality operations consultant Susan Wilkie, president and CEO of Wilkie Enterprises. The reason, she explains, is that students no longer pile food on their plates—and often waste much of it—thinking they won’t have a chance to return if they’re hungry later because the dining hall will be closed.

Moveable Feasts

Food trucks are solving the access problem at a number of colleges and universities where some students can’t easily get to buildings with dining facilities.

The dining halls at Mercyhurst University (Pa.), for example, are located on the opposite side of the campus from where most upperclassmen live. “Because there are a couple of fast food areas that are close by them, we saw students walking to off-campus venues just because of the convenience,” says Gerry Tobin, vice president for student life.

The university didn’t have space to build a dining facility in that area, so food services contractor Parkhurst Dining Services purchased a food truck advertised on Craigslist. The Culinary Cab, which made its campus debut in September 2012, makes the rounds on Friday and Saturday nights, serving up pulled pork sandwiches, wraps, and nachos—but no fried food. “We try to keep it fairly healthy, because there’s a lot of late-night eating,” says Kim Novak, general manager of dining services for Parkhurst.



View original article here