University Dining Service
Newsletter
Summer 2013
Staffing News
Jim Kulidge started working for University Dining Service as a student employee in April of 2009. He
became a student manager in February 2010. Jim was very involved as a student manager when Tainter
Dining operations moved from JTC to North Point. He graduated in May of 2012 with a degree in H&T and
went back to work at Ruby Tuesday’s in Illinois, where he had worked in the past. The FSA4 PM position
opened up over the summer of 2012 and he came back to work at North Point as an LTE to cover the
position. He was then hired permanently in the PM FSA4 lead position. Jim has now accepted a position in
Minneapolis at “My Burger” a family owned fast casual restaurant. We thank Jim for his 5 years of service
to University Dining Service and wish him the best of luck in the future.
Midnight Breakfast a Success
The spring semester Midnight Breakfast was held on the eve of exam week, Wednesday, May 8, 2013, from
10:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m. at both the Price Commons and North Point Dining Halls. The breakfast, which was
free to hall residents, offered a breakfast meal and opportunity to relieve some of the stresses that come with
exam week. The event was co-sponsored by University Housing and University Dining.
There were 615 attendees at Price Commons 266 at North Point, for a total of 881 attendees. Housing &
Residence Life staff kept a the games going through the night and prizes were given out to many participants
The surveys of participants showed these results:
GRADE
Overall Event
Activities
Menu
A
61%
51%
41%
B
33%
33%
40%
C
5%
12%
15%
D
1%
2%
4%
F
<1%
2%
<1%
The students made requests for an enhanced menu, especially breakfast meats. Since the meal is free, we
need to control the cost, so we will not be able to add meat to the menu. Tri-tator hash browns were added
this year, and received many kudos. We’ll keep these on the menu. Ratings do indicate many enjoyed the
event and that it was well worth the extra efforts, labor and cost incurred by the hosting departments,
University Housing and University Dining.
Graduation Buffet – Building Business Up
Before the move out of, and remodel of the Student Center building, we would have upwards of 700-900
attendees at our Graduation buffets. After reopening the building the counts have not been very impressive
so the Student Center Dining staff have developed a comprehensive
marketing plan for the Graduation Buffets and have already seen an
improvement in numbers for the upcoming event.
The buffets are held after each graduation ceremony on Saturday and offer a
complete meal that can be complimented by wine, champagne, and individualized
cake served at your own specially reserved table. It is convenient for planning and travel and has
received many accolades from past attendees.
June
10
19
22
24
Justin Krahn, Student Center Unit Manager
Janie Gilbert, Cook
Lisa Miller, Tainter Service Manager
Kathleen Brown, Administrative Assistant and Catering Associate
July
13
17
27
31
Brian Kalscheuer, Commons Service Manager
Dick Buckwheat, Baker
Nancy Beguhn, Cook
Diane Ternes, Cook
JTC Facility – A Second Albeit Short-lived Life
JTC, (Jeter-Tainter-Callahan) Residence Hall is closing its doors as student housing after a long history that
started in 1954 with the building of Tainter Hall. JTC will become the temporary home for staff and faculty
currently in Harvey Hall during the time it Harvey Hall undergoes a major remodeling. After this use of the
building is complete, JTC will be retired from campus use. There are future plans to demolish JTC. A new
use for this campus space has not yet been defined.
There are about 138 faculty and staff in Harvey Hall. These faculty and staff members will move to JTC
during the summer and early fall of 2013. North Point staff are excited to have an opportunity to serve
another segment of the campus population during this time and are brainstorming ways to enhance services
to meet their needs. The staff will market the convenience and great food JTC occupants can find across the
foot bridge at North Point Dining. We hope to see them at Northern Express for morning coffee and treats or
afternoon snacks, and maybe a relaxing lunch in the cafeteria.
2002
July
Danielle Tuschl, Catering Lead
University Dining Service Announces 2013-14 Special Meals & Events
University Dining has set the dates and the themes for next year’s special events and meals.
Commons & North Point Dining Dinner Buffets
29th Annual Great American Cookout
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Pizza & Wing Beach Party
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Thanksgiving Feast
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Holiday Feast
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Mexican
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
The Roaring 20’s
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Commons & North Dining Steak Nights
Fall Steak Night
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Spring Steak Night
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Commons & North Point Dining Gourmet Burger Bar
Fall Gourmet Burger Bar
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Spring Gourmet Burger Bar
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Memorial Student Center Buffets
Oktoberfest
Holiday
Graduation
Graduation
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Midnight Breakfasts
Fall Semester Midnight Breakfast
Spring Semester Midnight Breakfast
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Western Meal
On Wednesday April 10, 2013, Commons and North Point offered a Western themed
meal with casino style games and other opportunities for diners to win prizes and have
some fun. There were 401 diners at North Point and 929 at the Commons for a total of
1330.
The menu was very received with the most popular items being BBQ Chicken, Cowboy
Beef Tips and Cowboy Caviar, a type of “salsa” to go with tortilla chips. The BBQ
chicken was topped with Sweet Baby Ray’s sauce in case you want to give it a try this
summer on the grill.
Ratings of the meal from 244 surveys filled out by diners that night are shown below.
Question
Excellent Good
Fair
How would you rate this special meal overall?
31%
53%
12%
How would our rate the menu for tonight’s meal?
23%
55%
17%
How would you rate decorations and entertainment?
21%
43%
31%
Was this meal worthwhile for staff to offer?
YES = 93%
NO = 7%
Poor
4%
5%
5%
Student Employees of Month
Month
March
April
Price Commons
Prasanna Shrestha
Brandon Kannel
North Point
Retail Operations
Samantha Kletscher Ian Offerdahl
Jessica Monfils
Ben Dornacker
Catering
Sales & Participation Increases Year-To-Date
As the academic year comes to a close, we find sales and customer count increases at several locations when
compared to previous periods.
Fireside Café, Skylight Square, and Brew Devils average a 22% increase in sales.
Jarvis HC 2 Express has a 12.6% increase in sales.
Northern Express has a 7% increase in sales.
Commons and North Point Breakfast counts increased 8%
Commons Dinner counts increased 1.3%.
North Point Dinner counts increased 1%.
Fall Professional Development Day
The annual fall professional development day will be Wednesday, August 28, 2013.
The agenda for the day includes a look back at last year, our annual safety training, and
other topics yet to be finalized, including a guest speaker on a motivating and a fun look
at customer service. The Student Managers will head up to the Ropes course for part of
the day while classified employees will have some IT Awareness training.
UDS Exposed and Stealing Ideas
Dining Service staff have opportunities to attend conferences, food shows, and visit peer locations in the
foodservice industry. These events are excellent opportunities to be exposed to the latest trends and products
in the industry. They also serve as avenues to creating networks with peers to share and steal both best
practices and new ideas. Education benefits are not only great for personal growth, but also offer solid
solutions to problems and/or ideas to improve UDS operations. Change is constant in foodservice, especially
the college market and being aware of the industry is best done through active involvement.
This year’s events include: Dining Staff traveling to UW-Eau Claire to tour the new Student Center and get a
“behind the scenes” look at the dining service operations. This was part of the January 2013 Professional
Development Day. Ann Thies, Lisa Miller and David Leach attended the NACUFS Midwest Regional
Conference in March. Jim Selz and David Leach were part of an intense market research event hosted by
food manufacturers seeking operator input on new products and market trends.
Additionally, six staff members will travel to Chicago to spend two days on the floor of the annual National
Restaurant Association show in May. In July, the NACUFS national conference will be held in Minneapolis
(within driving distance). Those attending are David Leach, Ann Thies, Jim Selz, Rod McRae and Brian
Kalscheuer. Justin Krahn will attend a conference on retail foodservice operations in June and Jim Selz and
Darlene will attend the FoodPro Users conference in July.
New Operational Hours in University Dining
This fall, there will be some changes in University Dining regular hours for some locations. Here is a
summary of those changes.
Commons & North Point Cafeteria
Friday, Saturday and Sunday dinner will be open until 7:00 p.m. Currently open until 6:30 p.m.
Fireside Café
Monday through Thursday will close at 8:00 p.m. Currently closes at 10:00 p.m.
HC 2 Jarvis Express
Monday through Friday will open 7:00 a.m. Currently opens at 7:30 a.m.
Monday through Thursday will close at 6:00 p.m. Currently closes at 5:00 p.m.
Skylight Market
Friday and Saturday open until 12:00 midnight. Currently closes at 11:30 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday will open at 10:00 a.m. Currently opens at 10:30 a.m., on Saturday & noon on Sunday
Street Closure Will Impact Student Center Deliveries
The city of Menomonie is closing down 13th Avenue from June 3 until August 16,
2013, for major upgrading. Deliveries to the Student Center loading dock will be
impacted, as getting to the loading dock for large trucks is very difficult, if not
impossible, from 10th Avenue. Vendors and drivers have been alerted of the
situation, and we are confident that alternate plans will be made by vendors to
maintain our delivery schedules.
If you are on campus and need to go south of 13th Avenue the only designated
place for pedestrians to cross 13th Avenue is a the 13th Avenue and Broadway intersection.
Completion of this project will bring many improvements to this street.
Stephanie Hanrahan Named Student Employee of the Year at UW-Stout
Stephanie Hanrahan has been employed by University Dining Service from
2009 until the time of her graduation, May 2013. She has worked in many
positions during her time in UDS. Stephanie started at Tainter as a food service
team member. She then applied for, and was selected to be an MSC Student
Manager in 2011. She had to quickly learn a new facility, get accustomed to new
team members and management, and then be part of the opening of the newly
remodeled Memorial Student Center building.
Stephanie graduated this May with a degree in Family and Consumer Science
Education and has strived to get the most she can out of her student manager
experience at the Memorial Student Center.
Stephanie was nominated for this award by Justin Krahn. Here is a little of what Justin had to say about her:
“Stephanie is respected by her team for her leadership skills and her ‘get the job done’ attitude. She has
worked on several projects, including: the creation and updating of training and operations materials, menu
development, new product launches, marketing materials, and customer service projects. She is very selfmotivated and strives to do the best she can to improve the operation, her team, and herself. Stephanie
always looks for ways she can also improve her own skills as a leader and manager by asking meaningful
questions and her ability to set goals to improve not only herself, but the team she works with.”
Congratulations and thanks to Stephanie for a job well done. Good luck in your future!
Summer Camps and Orientation Events Benefit the University
Summer is not as quiet for UW-Stout dining service as some might expect. Although this summer’s camps
and conference agenda is a bit lighter than the past summers due to the MSC closure, it still has activities and
groups almost weekly. There are numerous groups including new students and parents that come to the
campus in the summer to attend events, camps and conferences. This year we have 14 of these Freshman
Orientation days. Most of these visitors and attendees will be provided with meals by UDS. During the
course of the summer approximately 5000 people will attend events and many others traveling with them
will experience our campus and our services.
There are several reasons that conferences and camps are sought after for summer business:
1.
Recruitment – camps bring to campus many prospective students, who if they like the campus
culture, facilities, services and have a positive experience may make UW-Stout their school of choice. The
families that accompany them or the adults that attend may also suggest UW-Stout as the school of choice to
others should their experiences be positive.
2.
Financial – camps bring in revenue by using the facilities that would otherwise be unused in the
summer. This extra revenue will help to cover overhead which is an on-going expense even when the
majority of students are not on the campus. The revenue earned in the summer will help to keep fees down
for students in future years.
3.
Financial Aid – summer campus provide excellent opportunities for students to work on campus, a
form of financial aid. The students also may save money as they may already be paying rent in the summer.
In addition they will build a relationship with the university which has been found to enhance retention.
4.
Exposure to Menomonie & Attractions – adding so many people to the area through camps and
conferences may bring these individuals back for a future visit or may sell them on UW-Stout.
5.
Revenues for Local Businesses - The influx of groups to the Menomonie area brings in added
revenues for the restaurants, stores, hotels that see a tremendous drop in business over the summer when
most students and many faculty are not here spending their dollars. This can help keep many businesses
viable as 12 month operations so they are there to serve the campus population during the academic year.
6.
Continuing Education – the reason the university exists is to educate and whether the camp is athletic,
band related, adult education, or focused on engineering like the STEPS program – all events are intended to
enhance the individuals attending through education.
7.
Summer work for permanent employees – without summer business many of our 12 month positions
would be 9 month.
Many people often ask what the financial payback of these camps is. Revenue over past few years to
University Dining Service for camps and catering has been $180,000-200,000 per year. There is also revenue
for other Student Life areas, such as University Housing, University Recreation, University Centers, etc.
Since many of our campus return year after year, we encourage you to put your best foot forward when you
encounter an attendee or visitor on campus or in the community. Become an ambassador for UW-Stout and
the Menomonie area to insure continued success and growth in this important segment of our business.
UDS Newsletter to Get New Look
The UDS Newsletter will have a new look with the fall 2013 edition. The newsletter will be published to
coincide with the semester and summer school schedule. The first semester edition will cover the September
to December timeframe, the second semester edition will cover the January to May timeframe, and the
summer edition will cover the July to August timeframe. The newsletter will also have a new look and feel
to it. Watch for the new look late August 2013. We hope you like it.
Summer 2013 Camps
Some of the summer 2013 outside groups confirmed for dining with us and their
estimated number of attendees this summer are:
• June
o
o
o
o
Minnesota Association of Counselors for Color (40)
National Rural Institute for Drug & Alcohol Counselors (200)
Gymnastics – for two weeks (70 each week)
Students Today – Leaders Forever (40)
• July
o
o
o
o
Steps for Girls – for four weeks (55)
Pre-College – for two weeks (55)
IGAEA/Print Ed Conference (200)
TEACH – (20)
• August
o Eastview Marching Band (170)
o TEACH (20)
o Necedah Football (50)
University Dining Service Newsletter
A UDS Publication Summer 2013
Articles should be submitted to Jim Selz
Not an official document.
For information only
Not printed at tax payer expense