Beginning with our February issue, you will see a slight change to our annual Industry Census reports. In years past, we have surveyed directors from 50 to 100 of the largest institutions and companies. This year, for the first time, we have included a mix of large, medium and small school districts, and will do the same for colleges, hospitals and corporations later in the year.
The main reason we chose to do this is we realized that culling information from the largest institutions does a disservice to scores of operators who work at much smaller schools, colleges, hospitals, etc. What use can you make of average food cost at a group of urban hospitals that have 400 or more beds when you operate foodservice for a rural, 85-bed tertiary care center?
As we came to this realization, we began to wonder how valuable our census reports were to readers. So we decided to ask you, by conducting focus groups for each of the market sectors. Thus far we have brought together school and university directors. Our goal was to use the info gleaned from the focus groups to make better, more insightful surveys.
The reality is that we have learned just how difficult it is to quantify this industry. The neat little package we hoped to create apparently doesn’t exist. We are being thwarted by the very diversity that makes this industry so exciting and interesting.
The school focus group pointed out, for example, that the way food costs are calculated can vary from state to state, or from district to district—how are commodities figured into the mix, for instance: as raw product or after processing?
Expenses can also be a tricky proposition. The focus group noted that, in some districts, foodservice departments must pay for utilities, while in others overhead may be handled another way. Does equipment maintenance and repair fall under the category “equipment” or “other?”
When we brought the college and university group together, we learned that when we get figures from some universities we don’t necessarily get a complete picture. For example, at many California state schools residence hall foodservice and retail foodservice are managed by two separate entities. So, if we send a survey to the residence hall foodservice director we get only figures from meal plan programs. It adds another layer of complexity to the survey process if we wish to be as accurate as possible.
These are just some of the challenges our research department faces as we strive to provide as much valuable information as possible to our readers. Choosing what information is more important, and then deciding how best to gather that data, is a continual, evolving process—and one that we will stay on top of in the months and years to come. So bear with us and, by all means, send us your comments and critiques. It’s the best way for us to know what is most valuable to you.
When I started covering the foodservice industry 25 years ago, I wondered just how exciting and interesting this business could be. In two and a half decades I still haven’t learned all there is to know about the industry, and that is oddly satisfying. I suppose the day I think I know it all will be the day I’ll have to retire.