DES MOINES, Iowa — Pleasing his customers is, you could say, central to Richard Phillips' mission. Phillips is the dining services director at Central College in Pella, and since he started in the position this summer, his goal has been to please his constituents. "The students are paying us," he said. "They should have some say in what we do."
Phillips, 35, a native of Wales, has worked for Central dining for four years, and said this semester iss the first time he's been "very satisfied with the food coming out." Phillips has also owned a local restaurant, Monarch's, for 10 years, which helps explain his attention to his customers. Even though Central Market is a college dining hall, "it's still the hospitality business," he said.
Phillips' take on the relationship between students and their dining options is increasingly common as colleges and universities vie for the nation's best students. It's an updated version of a homey old saw: The way to students' hearts (and their parents' bank accounts) is through their stomachs, it seems.
"Best of" lists abound for college dining; most are led by Virginia Tech, which offers everything from a hibachi grill to a gelato station and Maine's Bowdoin College, which sends its seniors off each year with a lobster feast. Berkeley has an organic dining hall and students at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst can get food delivered until 4 a.m. On at least one list, Iowa's Grinnell College ranked a respectable No. 15.
Phillips is working his own angles to improve Central College's dining program, but they all center on keeping the students happy. The plans for Halloween alone were impressive and included a cream cheese head covered in ham "skin" and a carved pumpkin with a pile of hummus strategically placed by its mouth to look like — well, you