3. Change your approach
Sometimes the equipment itself is the cost-saver. When Wisconsin-based Pine Haven Christian Communities built a new long-term care building a few years ago, Dining Services Assistant Manager Mary Aderman wanted to avoid the enormous expense of a full-service kitchen. Rather than invest in a full suite of equipment, she adapted the space into a blast-chill facility with a medium combi oven.
Now, Aderman says, her team can prepare main entrees for all three facilities in advance and retherm with ease. The blast-chill facility allows her to save on labor costs since it requires fewer cooks, and she can even splurge on pricier ingredients like shrimp. “I would never go back,” she says.
With an impending budget squeeze due to declining enrollment, Wuest and his team needed to attract new customers. The Tiger Plan, launched in fall 2016, is designed to capture the business of off-campus students and comes with flexible dining dollars and discounts at a la carte locations and convenience stores.
Adding the Tiger Plan came with its own costs, including managing the program, marketing it to students and training staff. But Wuest says it has helped stretch the department’s budget. “You have to adapt,” he says.