Get to know Central Washington University’s Dean Masuccio

Here's what the future holds for the team at Central Washington University, FSD's June Foodservice Operation of the Month, in the words of Director of Dining Services Dean Masuccio.

Q: What’s the key to your operation’s success?

Two come to mind. The first is our campus leadership, because the fact is that they could be major barriers, but instead, they help us forward and are appreciative of all we do. The other piece is the core group of leadership [on the foodservice team] that I have supporting the work we do; without them, there’s no way I could do half the things we accomplish.

Q: What are your goals for the coming year?

I’m really looking forward to welcoming the students, especially those of the class who joined us in fall 2020. Last year’s freshman class just hasn’t been exposed to our program the way they truly would have in a typical year. I’m hoping we can leave most of the COVID-related challenges behind and strengthen our relationships with our student organizations again, because that’s what benefits the entire community.

Q: What else are you looking forward to in foodservice as the pandemic hopefully abates?

I miss the in-person networking in our industry. We learn from each other and make [our] programs better because of what we share, and there’s a real energy that comes from being face-to-face. I look forward to restarting some of that when it’s safe.

Q: What pandemic-era solutions or lessons will you bring forward?

I’m excited to see how the technology piece continues. We plan on remaining cashless in the fall. And we’ve made more efforts on mobile ordering. I don’t see that type of thing going away after COVID.

This situation has taught us a lot as an industry, namely—and I can’t take credit for this line—do less and do it better. Everyone’s talking about that. COVID has helped us realize we can streamline the menu and make those items even more delicious. I do think people will continue to have hesitations coming to eat in person for a while—mask or no mask, six feet apart or not, different comfort level—so we’ve also had to focus on speed of service without jeopardizing food quality so people can get in and out. We’ve met that challenge and continue to work hard at that.