Colleges & Universities

Operations

Local petition inspires reusable bag campaign

New Jersey Public Interest Research Group wants plastic bags eliminated at Rutgers.

Operations

Money matters in renovations, new buildings

Renovations and new construction are two of the surest ways to create buzz around an operation’s foodservice.

Half of operators say fruit is the snack category (excluding vending) that has growth potential in the next two years. Second to fruit is the dips/salsa/hummus category, with 24% of operators saying this area will increase in sales.

Call them what you will: mobile canteens, lunch wagons, catering vans or even the pejorative “roach coaches.” Food trucks, once the “restaurant” of choice for employees outside of manufacturing plants, steel mills, military bases and more, are back.

Milk does a body good, and it also helps operators’ bottom line. Milk, at 18%, makes up the highest sales percentage of beverages for non-commercial operators, according to The Big Picture research.

Only 5% of operators have an on-site garden or farm for which the foodservice team is responsible. Most operators say they don’t have an on-site garden/farm and have no plans to start one.

Peter Testory comes to CSU from the University of Illinois.

As I write this, less than three weeks remain for operators to submit their entries to the third annual Goldies Awards. The awards, which celebrate best practices in non-commercial foodservice, will be presented Monday, March 4, during the 2013 MenuDirections conference in Tampa, Fla.

According to The Big Picture research, 71% of operators have an employee wellness program and a great majority of them say they believe the wellness programs are working. Offering everything from nutrition guidance to smoking cessation classes and even sleep-well clinics, such programs are geared toward stemming rising healthcare costs.

The University of Massachusetts has been working on taking the stress out of mealtimes for UMass students who have dietary restrictions.

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