5. ‘Uh, how many did you say?’
For a crowd seemingly more comfortable with a whisk than a calculator, the MenuDirections audience ate up some of the stats that were shared from the stage.
They learned, for instance, that there are 92 different sorts of flatbreads, according to breakfast expert Ina Pinkney.
A discussion of automation brought to light the factoid that a machine under development by a team of hardcore tech geeks is expected to automatically form, cook, garnish and serve 400 hamburgers per hour.
And college and university feeders learned that University of Massachusetts at Amherst enjoys a renewal rate for its meal plan of 77%, meaning three-fourths of students tend to remain on the plan for all four years.
UMass-Amherst also shared the statistic that 83% of its graduates say they intend to follow the dining habits they learned at school after they head out into the larger world. “Isn’t that what it’s all about?” asked Ken Toong, executive director of auxiliary enterprises for the university.
The foodservice facilities at USAA, the insurance company for servicemen and servicewomen, divulged a key statistic on its program to promote healthier dining. The operation cuts the price of those options at lunch by 50%, explained FSD William Garner. He did not share how many people now stand in line for the deals, but he did divulge how much the tactic has cost his charge in lost sales: zero. The volume more than makes up for the lower check, he said.