1. Get clever with customizable
Concept: To ease congestion in the main serving areas, the University of Hawaii at Hilo dining services sets up a red tent in the dining room every other Friday and serves quick customizable options. The inaugural pop-up earlier in October sold frozen smoothie bowls, such as blueberry strawberry acai, peanut butter chocolate, and purple yam mixed with cream and coconut. Next up: poke bowls with fresh island-caught fish.
Labor: The size of the 4,000-student campus and streamlined production of the bowls allow Reid Kusano, operations manager for Sodexo, and a sous chef to churn out meals from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Since the pop-up pulls traffic from the other areas, the kitchen isn’t burdened by the loss of a team member.